Spiced orange pumpkin fritters

Ingredients:

Sauce:

• 1½ cups (300g) sugar
• ¾ cup (180ml) water
• ½ cup (125ml) milk
• 2 sticks cinnamon
• 3 cardamom pods, smashed
• 1 star anise
• 2 tsp (10ml) cornflour

Fritters:

• 3 cups (750ml) cooked and mashed pumpkin
• 2 eggs
• Grated peel of 1 orange
• 2 Tbsp (30ml) honey
• 2 cups (500ml) self-raising flour
• 1 tsp (5ml) ground ginger 
• 1 tsp (5ml) ground cinnamon + extra for serving
• ½ tsp (3ml) ground cloves 
• ½ tsp (3ml) ground nutmeg
• 3 cups (750ml) canola oil

Method

1. Combine sauce ingredients (excluding cornflour) in a saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes. 
2. Mix cornflour with a little water to make a paste and add to sauce.
3. Cook for 3 minutes, or until thick, and keep warm.
4. For fritters, combine pumpkin, eggs, orange peel and honey.
5. Combine remaining ingredients and stir through pumpkin mixture until well-combined.
6. Heat oil in a pot and fry dollops of fritter batter until golden all over.
7. Drain on kitchen paper and submerge in warm sauce for 5 minutes (reserve some sauce for serving). Remove.
8. Serve pumpkin fritters dusted with extra cinnamon and a drizzle of extra sauce.

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