Served as starter. Non-vegetarian dish.

African

500 gm Pumpkin or Butternut Squash

4 Tablespoons chilli-flavoured Olive Oil

1 large Onion, chopped

2 inches fresh Ginger, freshly grated or 1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon

4 boneless skinless Chicken Breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces

2 (400 gm) cans chopped Tomatoes

2-4 teaspoons Brown Sugar

1 (400 gm) can Chickpeas, drained and rinsed

3 Tablespoons fresh Coriander, chopped

1 teaspoon Cornstarch, mixed well with (optional)

4 Tablespoons Water (optional)

Peel the pumpkin or squash. Remove the seeds and any fibrous bits and then cut into bite-sized pieces. In a large bowl, heat the oil and fry the onion for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the cinnamon and, if using the ground ginger, stir that in too. If you are using fresh, it will be added later. Cook for a couple more minutes and then add in the chicken. Fry until the chicken is browned slightly on all sides. Add the tomatoes and sugar. Season to taste with salt and pepper if you like, and then add the chickpeas and pumpkin. Make sure the dish is evenly mixed and then cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender. If you are using fresh ginger, add it in about half way through this process. Once the pumpkin is cooked, depending on how runny you like your stew, you may want to thicken it up with a bit of cornstarch and water. Just mix the two together and stir in the stew and leave for a couple minutes to thicken. Stir in the chopped coriander just before serving.

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Cooking time: 55 minutes

Serves: 4

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