Squash Flowers

It’s been a while since I last posted anything under Kitchen Adventures; this should have gone in there as well, but I reckoned there was far too much talk than actual recipes on this topic.

We’re very lucky to have itinerant fishmonger and greengrocer in our village. They knock on our gate almost every day, parking their carts just in front and displaying fresh produce and seafood for Mum to choose from.

The greengrocer had fresh squash flowers on offer, a very rare treat. Mum didn’t want them at first, since it’s not something that we ate, but I managed to convince her to let me have a go.

First step: Prep. Cut off stalks; set those aside. Take out the stamens, slitting through the corolla if needed; you can trim any dried sepals but you can leave those on if you want. Rinse away pollen that may have fallen off the stamens. Leave to one side to drain and air dry.

As a cook I eyeball everything, and simply toss together whatever I find suitable in our pantry. Here is what I came up with:

Tempura

squash flowers, cleaned and trimmed
rice flour
cold water
salt
enough oil for deep frying

Make a light batter with the flour and cold water, and season with salt. Dip flowers to coat, then drop in hot oil. Cooks in seconds. Drain well; the flower cavity tends to accumulate oil so drain the flowers pointing downward.

A Japanese lady once said that her grandmother taught her how to cook tempura by telling her this story: Tempura like to swim, and at first they go to the bottom of the hot, hot lake. But they also need to come up for air, so after a while they will rise to the top. When they do, catch them quickly lest they get away. That’s actually an excellent method of imparting deep frying techniques. Well done, Grandma!

Rice flour has a neat quality when frying: Even if your pan is not non-stick, it will lift off by itself once cooked through. Another thing, it stays crispier over time than wheat flour batter would. As with any deep frying, DRAIN WELL.

Stuffed Flowers

squash flowers, cleaned and trimmed
pork, minced fine
scallions
sesame oil
salt
pepper
rice flour
cold water
enough oil for deep frying

Combine meat, scallions, sesame oil and season with salt and pepper. Fill the flower cavities but do not over-fill (might burst). Dip in a light, unseasoned batter of rice flour and cold water, then drop into hot oil. Drain well. Serve immediately.

Scallions and sesame are an excellent pairing. Try a scallion and sesame omelet one time – you won’t regret it, provided you don’t brown anything.

Not one to throw anything away, I next focused on the stalks. Although we’ve never had squash flowers ever, I figured that since the whole talbos ng calabasa is edible the flower stalks can get the same treatment.

I am not sure if trimming the stalks is a crucial step, but I like to take the extra step. As the stalks get older, the skin toughens up and becomes gritty eating – not happy. It’s easy enough to trim, just nip the end furthest from the flower with your knife, and pull the “strings” downward. Then cut to your preferred length. Tastes nutty when fried or freshly green if blanched, but with a firm and stringy texture either way.

Crisps

stalks, trimmed and cut
rice flour
salt
pepper
cold water
enough oil for deep frying

Combine flour, salt, pepper and cold water to make a light batter. Toss in the stalks and drop batter by spoonfuls into very hot oil. DRAIN WELL.

It’s important to drain the crisps very well. The crisps take on a rice cracker quality if made thinly, and will be rock hard if over-cooked. You can actually skip the stalks and just make plain crisps.

Pickles are always a welcome side to fried food, with the acid cutting through the oiliness. A balance between sweet, salty, sour and spicy is also refreshing.

Quick Pickles

stalks, trimmed, cut, and blanched
cold water
vinegar
salt
sugar
pepper

Combine everything to taste. Let the stalks soak up the pickle solution for a bit before serving.