Zucchini Blossom Stuffed with Poppyseeds and Coconut is my Bengali take on stuffed zucchini blossoms.
If you have been following my Instagram stories you would know that just about a week before shelter-in-place was announced, I started gardening. And after several years of failure, I am finally seeing some success. The zuchhini plant was the first I planted from the seeds and now everymorning I see so many flowers. It’s such an amazing feeling. We even had about 7 zucchinis so far. The blossoms are however my fav part and I am using these every other day to make zucchini blossoms fritters.
Ingredients for the stuffed zucchini blossoms:
Grated coconut, fresh or frozenWhite poppy seedsGreen chiliSalt
Batter to make the zucchini blossom fritters:
All purpose flourCorn flourPinch of baking sodaNigella seedsSaltturmeric
We love pairing white poppy seeds, freshly grated coconut with green chili. It’s definitely an acquired taste.
The sweet coconut with nutty aroma of poppy seeds is a beautiful flavor pair and to balance it out refreshing heat from green chili goes in. To make it less spicy, discard the seeds of the chili and just add the skin.
Cleaning the Zucchini Blossoms:
I pick only the male flowers after self-pollinating the female zucchini flowers. The female zucchini blossoms are edible too! The best time to pick these flowers are in the morning when it’s open and will be easy to clean. Remove the stigma and then using a small brush, brush off the extra pollen or any tiny insects that might be there. You can gently dab it too with a wet napkin.
It’s a good idea to fry these zucchini blossoms fresh soon after you pick but if you have to save it, then after cleaning, put it in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator.
Zucchini blossoms stays fresh only for couple days.
Stuffed zucchini blossoms tastes best when prepared fresh and served soon after you fry these.
My parents have amazing green thumb and wherever we lived, they would find a tiny batch in the backyard or in the balcony to plant flowers and veggies. I grew up eating a lot of pumpkin blossoms, that my parents grew in the backyard. Ma would fry these blossoms crispy and serve it with rice and daal.
Difference between pumpkin blossoms and Zucchini Blossoms
I find pumpkin blossoms tasting a bit sweeter as compared to zucchini blossoms. But it’s still quite similar and after many years I am getting to relive some of those childhood memories.
Try this recipe of crispy fried zucchini blossoms!
