Ghapama stuffed pumpkin

A small pumpkin becomes a serving vessel for rice, dried fruit and walnuts. Choose an edible cooking pumpkin, not a decorative gourd.

This recipe has not been kitchen-tested.

Prep: 35 min · Cook: 110 min · Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1200 g — small whole pumpkin
• 150 g — dry long-grain rice, rinsed
• 400 ml — water
• 80 g — dried apricots, chopped
• 60 g — raisins
• 50 g — walnuts, chopped
• 50 g — honey
• 40 g — butter

Method

1. Weigh all ingredients, wash produce and prepare clean equipment before starting. Keep raw meat and eggs separate from ready-to-eat food.
2. Cut a lid from the pumpkin, scoop out seeds and set in a roasting dish. Boil rice in the measured water for 10 minutes, then drain any excess. Mix with apricots, raisins, walnuts, honey and melted butter.
3. Loosely fill the pumpkin, replace its lid and bake at 180°C for 75–100 minutes, until flesh and rice are tender. Timing varies with size. Cut into wedges to serve.
4. Serve promptly. Refrigerate leftovers in shallow covered containers at 4°C or below within 2 hours (1 hour above 32°C); use within 3 days. Reheat cooked leftovers to 74°C.

Allergen notes

• Milk
• Walnuts (tree nuts)
• Check all prepared-product labels and shared-equipment cross-contact; this is not an exhaustive allergen guarantee.

Cook’s notes

• Times are estimates; pan size, oven and ingredient temperature change the result. These editorial drafts have not been kitchen-tested.