Ghapama with Meat (Armenian Stuffed Pumpkin)

Ingredients:

  • One medium sized pumpkin 🎃
  • 1.5 cup of long grain rice 🍚
  • 0.5 kg meat 🥩 (lamb or beef)
  • 1 yellow onion 🧅
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1/4th tsp ground cloves
  • 1/4th tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4th tsp allspice
  • 0.5 tsp Armenian red hot pepper 🌶️
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt to taste 🧂

Instructions:

  1. Thoroughly wash and soak the rice in cold water.
  2. Finely chop the onion and sautée until soft.
  3. Cut the pieces of meat into 1 cm size and add to the onion.
  4. Continue mixing until the liquid from the meat evaporates.
  5. Add all the spices and continue mixing.
  6. Strain the rice and put aside.
  7. Take off the sautéed ingredients from the stove.
  8. Wash the pumpkin with soap, dry, and cut the top of the pumpkin into a star-shaped lid.
  9. Empty the inside of the pumpkin from the seeds and fibre.
  10. Add salt and olive oil on the walls inside the pumpkin.
  11. Fill in the pumpkin with layers of rice and sautéed meat.
  12. Put the cinnamon stick at the very top.
  13. Add 0.5 cup of boiling water on top of the rice and meat mixture.
  14. Close the lid.
  15. Put the pumpkin on the tray and place in the oven 350 F for 1.5 hours. The middle rack.
  16. Serve hot and…

Enjoy!

Share on: