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Ghapama
Ghapama: Armenian pumpkin stuffed with rice, dried fruit and nuts
Ghapama is the dish Armenians carry to the table at New Year and on Christmas Day (6 January), with a folk song, "Hey jan ghapama", sung while the pumpkin is cut. A whole pumpkin is hollowed out, packed with half-cooked rice, dried apricots, prunes, raisins, walnuts and honey, and baked until the flesh is soft enough to scoop. At the table it is sliced from top to bottom like a flower opening, so each wedge comes with its own share of filling. Serve it as a festive main with a herb and cucumber salad, or as a sweet course after a lighter meal. Chef's tip: choose a squat, thick-walled pumpkin with a hard shell; thin-walled ones collapse in the oven before the rice is cooked.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the pumpkin
For the filling
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 350°F (fan 325°F). Cut a lid off the top of 5 ½ lb round pumpkin about 10 cm across, keeping the stalk as a handle. Scrape out the seeds and fibres with a spoon, then thin the inner walls slightly so they are about 2–3 cm thick.
Step 2: Bring a pan of water with ½ tsp salt to the boil, add 7 oz long-grain or medium-grain rice and boil for 6–7 minutes, until the grains are softened outside but still have a firm white core. Drain well. A common mistake is cooking the rice through at this stage: it turns to mush inside the pumpkin, so stop early.
7 minStep 3: Toss the rice with 3 ½ oz dried apricots, 2 ⅞ oz pitted prunes, 2 ⅛ oz golden raisins, 2 ⅛ oz walnuts, 1 ⅜ oz blanched almonds, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tbsp sugar, half of 2 tbsp honey and half of 1 ⅜ oz butter.
Step 4: Brush the inside of the pumpkin with a little of the remaining butter. Spoon in the filling, pressing lightly; leave 2 cm free at the top for the rice to swell.
Step 5: Mix the last of 2 tbsp honey and 1 ⅜ oz butter with ½ cup water and pour it over the filling. Put the lid back on.
Step 6: Set the pumpkin on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for 1 hour 15–30 minutes. It is done when the skin has darkened, a skewer slides through the side with no resistance and the kitchen smells of caramelised honey.
90 minStep 7: Leave to stand for 10 minutes. Lift onto a serving board, then cut down from the top into wedges with a sharp knife so each opens out with its filling. Serve hot or warm.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 430 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 72 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ghapama take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 90 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of long-grain or medium-grain rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
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