Quibebe
A pumpkin purée from north-eastern Brazil melted down with onion and garlic, seasoned with cumin and scattered with coriander.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Method
- Peel the pumpkin, scrape out the seeds and cut the flesh into 3 cm cubes.
- Soften the onion in the oil over medium heat for 8 minutes, until it gives up its water.
- Add the garlic and cumin, then stir them against the bottom of the pan for 1 minute.
- Tip in the pumpkin with the water and salt. Cover and cook over low heat for 20 minutes.
- Uncover and crush the flesh against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon. It should collapse on its own.
- Let it dry out uncovered for 5 minutes, until the purée holds its shape on the spoon.
- Grind over pepper and fold in the chopped coriander off the heat.
The name comes from Angolan Kimbundu and describes the texture rather than the ingredient: in the Nordeste the pumpkin is cooked until it falls apart by itself, never blended. The uneven grain is part of the dish.
