The simplicity and ease of cooking are the most sought-after qualities in any dish. More so when it's a wholesome meal like rice and meat that can be cooked like a charm in one pot. We are talking about the lamb rice mix, where the mutton pieces are slowly but deeply imbued in lingering flavour by cooking in a handful of whole spices like bay leaves, cinnamon, and cloves. And the simple rice and chickpea mix added to these lightly cooked mutton pieces with the raisin toppings makes this dish a soothing delicacy. The fun part however comes with the rice being baked and served beautifully in plump and sweet hollowed pumpkin bowls, which can be eaten together with the rice or after finishing the rice. The choice is yours!
The Origin Of Rice-Stuffed Pumpkins
Rice-stuffed pumpkins are called Ghapama. Yes, that's the name of Rice-stuffed pumpkin and it's a thoroughly Armenian cuisine, although the word Ghapama is Turkish in origin. Ghapama which means meat cooked in a closed bowl is equally popular in Turkey but is known by a different name. While most of Europe chose to distort and deform the pumpkins during Halloween, the Armenians chose to relish it as a celebrated food item cooked as a part of age-old rituals during New Year celebrations.
The dish is loved to the point that famous Armenian-American pop singer, Harout Pamboukjian had even dedicated an entire song’ Hey Jan Ghapama’ to this Armenian cuisine. Pouring out his love for Ghapama, he gave almost the entire recipe of the dish in the song. The pumpkins chosen to bake are sweeter ones, as they are eaten along with the rice.
Preparation: 3 ½ hours
Cooking: 3 hours
Servings: 3-4
Ingredients:
• 2 medium onions
• 1 ½ cups rice
• 300g lamb or beef cubes
• 120g canned chickpeas
• 60g raisins
• 60g sultanas (or use more raisins)
• 2 tbsp ghee or butter
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 2 small bay leaves
• 2 cloves
Method:
1. In a pot, heat ghee, add the bay leaves, cinnamon and cloves, let them crackle and then add the black pepper. Sauté for another 2 minutes to infuse the flavour of spices in the ghee.
2. Add the mutton pieces and sauté on medium heat until the water separates from it.
3. Cook for around 30-40 minutes until soft. Add little water in between whenever the liquid evaporates from the pot.
4. Once cooked, add chopped onions and saute for 4-5 minutes until completely softened. Add little water.
5. Add the chickpeas to the pot, and then put the washed rice followed by salt and add oil to it.
6. Mix everything, then add stock until the rice is just barely covered.
7. Bring it to a boil and allow it to boil for about 5 minutes.
8. Once the water drops below the rice, turn the heat to low and allow it to steam for 20 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, soak raisins in warm water.
10. When the rice is cooked, fluff the rice up with a fork, then add the soaked raisins.
11. To prepare the pumpkins, cut out a thin flat part from the top of the pumpkin about the size of a teacup saucer.
12. Remove the insides of the pumpkin to have a large enough cavity for filling the cooked rice or pilau.
13. After clearing out, sprinkle the insides of the pumpkin with salt and then add the cooked rice.
14. Put on the lid, and apply oil all over the pumpkin, so that it gets baked nicely.
15. Then place 2 sheets of foil in a cross, and 2 sheets of wet and softened parchment paper also in a cross. Fold and wrap both parchment paper and foil sheets around the pumpkin tightly.
16. Place on an oven tray, then bake at 180 degrees celsius for 1 ½ - 2 hours until the pumpkin is cooked through and soft.
17. Remove the lid once it comes out of the oven, and let it sit for 15 minutes so excess steam can escape.
The simple ingredients and easy steps involved in mixing a few whole spices, with lamb, onions, and dried fruits make it an achievable feat even for amateurs. Some care is surely needed in baking rice-stuffed pumpkin, where the thickness of the pumpkin determines the baking time. You can choose to eat rice in the pumpkin bowl or serve it on a plate.