Heading to our local Sunday Markets, we always make a quick beeline to the Ethiopian food stand for a big bowl of Pumpkin Wat and my favourite, the Miser Wat (amazing lentils!).

For YEARS we have tried to replicate the taste of the pumpkin curry and, I’m thrilled to say, that with the discovery of the spice blend ‘berbere’, we’re getting close.

Berebere is a blend of salt, cumin, coriander seed, pepper, ajowan, fenugreek, all spice, ginger, chilli, nutmeg and cloves; so you can imagine the flavour hit it gives a meal!

I like the taste strong, so add 2 heaped Tablespoons of the spice mix, but if spice isn’t your thing, halve that.

I’m sure there is some vital spice missing from my Wat recipe, which can only mean one thing……..more taste testing on Sundays!

Ingredients:

(serves 4 to 6 but can be easily doubled/tripled to MamaBake Big Batch size!)

1/4 cup ghee or butter

1 brown onion – finely diced

About 4 cups of diced pumpkin

2 Tablespoons berbere

1 tin of diced tomatoes (actually, I’ve also used half a bottle of passatta in place of the tomatoes and that worked fine too.)

Water or veg stock if needed. (you don’t want the sauce too thick, so water it down if need be)

To serve:  rice, quinoa or as I have, on a bed of spinach with coriander and crushed peanuts.

Method:

Heat a large, heavy based pot over medium heat and give the onion a minute or so to dry fry.

Add the butter and continue to cook the onion until it begins to colour.

Add the berbere spices and mix.

Pour in the tomato and add the pumpkin.

Stir and lower the heat to med/low.

Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.  The pumpkin should retain it’s shape and not dissolve into the sauce.

Adjust seasoning and serve either with a grain, or over a big bowl of spinach.