Air-fried pumpkin wedges with garlic & black pepper
Crisp-edged, tender pumpkin wedges with fragrant garlic and a gentle pepper kick — a savoury, low-oil snack that warms you through.
- 28 min
- Serves 2
- Air-fry
- Easy
Why it suits you: Yang Deficiency means feeling the cold, with chilly hands and feet, and Grain Rain's damp plus office air-conditioning lets cold-damp settle on digestion. Sweet, warm pumpkin builds qi while pungent, warm garlic and pepper chase the chill — warmth without a sugary snack.
Method
Prep 10 min · Cook 18 min- 1Wash and deseed the pumpkin and cut it, skin on, into 1.5 cm wedges. Mince the garlic.
- 2Toss the pumpkin with the oil, salt and half the pepper, and spread it in the air-fryer basket in a single layer.
- 3Air-fry at 180°C for 12 minutes, turning halfway. Toss in the garlic and cook for 4–6 minutes more, until tender and lightly charred at the edges.
- 4Sprinkle with the rest of the pepper and eat warm. At the office, microwave for 30 seconds and have it with warm water or ginger tea.
Cautions
- If you have acid reflux or stomach pain, halve the garlic and black pepper.
Chef's tips
- Add the garlic only for the last 5 minutes or it burns and turns bitter. No air fryer? Roast at 200°C for 20 minutes.
The TCM view
Pumpkin is sweet and warm and builds qi; garlic is pungent and warm, warms the middle, moves stagnation and clears toxins; black pepper is pungent and hot and dispels cold — a little is plenty. Pungent with sweet generates yang, warming digestion and dispersing cold-damp, and air-frying keeps it light rather than greasy.
