Ghapama

Ghapama (Armenian Stuffed Pumpkin)

A festive Armenian holiday dish: a whole pumpkin hollowed and filled with rice, dried fruits, walnuts and honey, then baked until the flesh is meltingly tender and the filling fragrant. Served in wedges so each slice carries both sweet rice and soft roasted pumpkin.

Prep

25 min

Cook

150 min

Total

175 min

Serves

6-8

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •1 whole pumpkin, round, about 2-2.5 kg / 4½-5½ lb, with a flat bottom so it sits upright
• •200 g (1 cup) short-grain white rice, rinsed until water runs clear
• •750 ml (3 cups) water, for parboiling the rice
• •120 g (¾ cup) dried apricots, chopped
• •80 g (½ cup) raisins or dried plums (prunes), chopped if large
• •100 g (1 cup) walnuts, roughly chopped, lightly toasted
• •80 g (¼ cup) honey, plus extra for drizzling
• •30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter, plus a little for greasing
• •2.5 ml (½ tsp) ground cinnamon, optional but traditional
• •1.25 ml (¼ tsp) ground allspice or clove, optional
• •5 ml (1 tsp) salt, for the rice water

Steps

1. 1 Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F. Wash the pumpkin and dry it well.
2. 2 Slice off the top of the pumpkin about 5 cm / 2 in below the stem to make a 'lid'. Set the lid aside. Scrape out all seeds and stringy fibers with a spoon, leaving the flesh intact. Rub the inside lightly with a little butter.
3. 3 Parboil the rice: bring 750 ml water and the salt to a boil, add the rice, cook 5-7 minutes until just tender but still firm at the center (it will finish inside the pumpkin). Drain and rinse briefly under warm water to stop cooking.
4. 4 In a large bowl, combine the parboiled rice, chopped apricots, raisins, walnuts, honey, 30 g butter, cinnamon and allspice if using. Toss gently so the honey and butter coat everything.
5. 5 Spoon the filling into the hollowed pumpkin, pressing down gently but do not pack tightly - the rice will expand as it steams. Fill to about 2 cm / ¾ in below the rim. Drizzle 1-2 tbsp honey over the top of the filling.
6. 6 Place the lid back on the pumpkin. Set the pumpkin on a parchment-lined baking dish or roasting pan (it may weep liquid as it bakes).
7. 7 Bake at 180°C / 350°F for 2 to 2½ hours. The pumpkin is done when a knife pierces the outer wall with almost no resistance and the filling is hot through; the internal temperature at the center of the filling should reach at least 75°C / 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.
8. 8 If the top browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil. If the lid starts to char, remove it for the last 30 minutes and let the filling brown lightly.
9. 9 Remove from the oven and let the pumpkin rest, covered loosely with foil, for 15-20 minutes so the filling sets and is easier to cut.
10. 10 To serve, slice the whole pumpkin vertically into wedges (cut from top to bottom through skin and filling) so each portion has some flesh, some rice filling and some of the caramelized top. Drizzle each wedge with a little extra honey if desired.