This is a classic Guyanese dish made with sweet pumpkin, fragrant dried thyme, and delicious white shrimps.
I love pumpkin cooked every which way, I love it most of all with fine shrimps, which is our special only-in-Guyana species.
Let me tell you about fine shrimps.
First off, they are wild caught by local fisher people using Chinese seine nets. Fine shrimps are from the salty ocean, but unique because it thrives from the nutrient dense sweet water mix from the Demerara and Essequibo. They thrive close to shore in the mudflats, right where the mineral rich river waters drain into the Atlantic Ocean.
Now, there’s no way we can get that specific amazingness here in Vancouver, so go for the second best; frozen Newfoundland and Labrador wild cold-water shrimp. Try it, you will love it!
About the pumpkin, we grow the same ones here in British Columbia, they call them Kabocha. In Guyana we just called them pumpkin and we would harass the farmers to give us the best and the sweetest slices.
My mama though, she just smiled her sweet smile and trusted the farmers to be true to their words when handing over the hunks of pumpkin.
Once we got home, and that scent of sweet pumpkin starts a-simmering – with a batch of warm rotis wrapped up in a tea towel nearby of course. By then all my siblings would be home all together, waiting for dinner.
That was the most special feeling in all the world. That safe, warm, blessed feeling of anticipating an amazing meal cooked by my mama’s loving hands.
Mama is gone to heaven now, and oh how I miss her.
In every dish she made us, every dish she taught me, I miss her dearly. And as she would say once she was done, “Come and sit down while I dish up your dinner.”
Enjoy your pumpkin and shrimps and remember to cherish your loved ones with good food and kindness, always.
• 1½ cups cooked baby white shrimp (frozen cooked Newfoundland shrimp) 1. Heat the olive oil and smashed garlic together in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until fragrant (do not overcook). • I used frozen cooked baby white shrimp from Newfoundland. They're already cooked, so there's no need to cook them again. Adding them at the end keeps them tender.
Ingredients
• 3 cups diced pumpkin
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1½ tsps. dried Guyanese thyme (or what is available)
• ½ habanero pepper, minced
• ¼ tsp turmeric (for brightness)
• 1 whole ripe tomato, minced with juices retained
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• ½ vegetable bouillon cube
• ½ cup water, if needed
• Salt, to taste Instructions
2. Add the onion and sauté until softened.
3. Stir in the habanero, chopped tomato and thyme. Cook until the tomatoes begin to break down.
4. Add the tomato paste, mix and roast for a minute.
5. Add the diced pumpkin, turmeric and brown sugar, and vegetable bouillon. Toss everything together until the pumpkin is well coated.
6. Cover and cook over low heat. If your pumpkin is dry and doesn't release enough liquid, add about ½ cup of water. Check and stir often.
Pumpkin Tip: Every pumpkin is different. Some release lots of water while others are much drier. Check the pot as it cooks and only add water if needed.
9. Season with salt.
10. Continue cooking until the pumpkin is very tender and most of the liquid has evaporated. The pumpkin should be soft but still have some texture. Taste it, it should taste well and truly done. Mash it with the back of the pot spoon making sure to crush any visible garlic pieces.
11. Remove from the heat and gently fold in the shrimp. Remember you're simply warming them through in that delicious pot of pumpkin.
12. Serve with hot rice or roti. Notes
• Guyanese thyme has a wonderful flavour. My girlfriends, Sheriza and Pat, from Florida sends me loads of garden goodness from their backyard; dried Guyanese thyme, dried lemongrass, mango achar and so much more.
• Olive oil works beautifully in everything I make; it is always the heart-healthy option.
• A sprinkle of brown sugar brings out the pumpkin's natural sweetness without making the dish taste sweet.