Beer-Battered Pumpkin with Dipping Sauce


Ingredients

  • Vegetable or coconut oil
  • 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
  • 1 (12-oz.) bottle cold light beer
  • 1/2 pie pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1/2 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup buttermilk
  • 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (such as Tabasco)
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

How to Make It

Step 1

Pour oil to a depth of 1 1/2 inches in a Dutch oven; heat over medium-high heat to 350°.

Step 2

Whisk together flour, cornstarch, and 1 Tbsp. salt in a large bowl; whisk in beer. Dip pumpkin wedges in batter, allowing excess batter to drip off. (Pumpkin should be very lightly coated.)

Step 3

Gently lower pumpkin into hot oil, using tongs. Fry pumpkin, in 3 batches, 3 to 4 minutes or until tender inside and light brown outside, turning once. Place fried pumpkin on a wire rack in a jelly-roll pan; season with salt.

Step 4

Place peeled garlic clove on a cutting board; smash garlic, using flat side of knife, to make a paste. Whisk together garlic, yogurt, next 3 ingredients, and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt. Serve yogurt mixture with fried pumpkin.