Jamaican Pumpkin Rice Recipe

Jamaican Pumpkin Rice Recipe

Jamaican Pumpkin Rice is a delicious and healthy alternative to plain rice and helps add colour, nutrients and taste to your meal.

It is a very easy Jamaican recipe, which uses up small bits of veg and cooks in under 1/2 an hour.  

It appeals to everyone, but Vegetarians and Vegans will appreciate the addition of some pumpkin to this otherwise staple food. Plus, children get a sneaky dose of vegetables included in this versatile rice dish too!

What more could you want for a healthy dinner idea?

Wash the Rice

To make Jamaican Pumpkin Rice you will need:

  • a large pot (saucepan) for the rice
  • a sharp knife and chopping board
  • a measuring cup
  • a sieve / strainer

Top Tip! Gather all your ingredients and cooking implements together and put them on the counter top. This way you will save time by having everything within reach and it will be less likely for something to go wrong!

Don’t forget to thoroughly wash your hands and scrub underneath your nails if you can.

Jamaican Pumpkin Rice Ingredients:

  • 3 Cups of preferably Basmati Rice, but long or short grain will do
  • 6 Cups of water
  • 1/2 tsp of Salt
  • 1 tbsp of Butter / Margarine
  • 1 cup diced / sliced pumpkin
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 1 garlic peg, diced small or crushed
  • 1 stock cube (optional)
  • If you want a deep orange coloured and fuller flavoured rice, you can omit the stock cube and use 2 tbsp of Grace Pumpkin Soup Mix, but use a sieve / strainer to remove the noodles!
Jamaican Pumpkin Rice
Jamaican Pumpkin Rice

Jamaican Pumpkin Rice Method:

  • Measure out the rice and place into a strainer. Thoroughly wash the rice and add to the pot (saucepan)
  • Add 6 cups of water to the pot, do not fill the measuring cup right up to the brim (a little less water is better than too much when cooking rice! *see Top Tip below)
  • Add the pumpkin, onion, garlic, butter, salt, stock cube / pumpkin soup powder
  • Stir with a fork (do NOT use a spoon)
  • Cover the pot (saucepan) and place onto the hob on a medium heat, until it starts to boil
  • Turn down the hob immediately to simmer (a very gentle boil) the rice, until all the water has been absorbed and the rice is ‘pitted’ on the top
  • This should take about 20-30 minutes
  • Using a fork, remove some of the rice and taste to check it is not undercooked
  • TOP TIP! If you find the rice is a bit hard and the water has dried up, you can spread a piece of cling film (cling wrap), tin foil, or even a clean plastic bag tightly over the top of the pot (saucepan) and replace the cover on top. This will trap steam in the pot, which will cause condensation to form on the cling film, which will drip down and finish cooking the rice to perfection!
  • PLEASE NOTE! When removing the cling film use a fork to slowly lift the cling film off the pot, facing away from you as the steam and condensation can easily burn you
  • Using a fork, fluff the rice and serve immediately…. YUM!

What Can I eat with Jamaican Pumpkin Rice?

Jamaican Pumpkin Rice can be eaten on it’s own if you want! Or it can be served with one of these delicious Jamaican recipes that I have shared on this site:

Ackee and Saltfish

Steamed Callaloo

Brown Stew Fish

Escovitch Fried Fish

Red Herring

Fried Plantain

How to Store and Reheat Leftover Jamaican Pumpkin Rice

If you do have any Jamaican Pumpkin Rice left over, wait for it to cool down and store in the fridge in a sealable container.

To reheat, either place in a microwave oven for a few minutes on high.

Or if you prefer to use the hob, add the rice to a pot (saucepan) and turn on a medium heat, as the pan gets hot (and before the rice starts burning) add an eggcup full of water to create steam and cover the pot, turning down the heat. Reheat rice until piping hot and serve immediately ~ do not reheat rice more than once, so only reheat what you can eat!

I Love Pumpkin Rice
Jamaican Pumpkin Rice

More Jamaican Recipes…

We have plenty of Jamaican Recipes to compliment this Jamaican Pumpkin Rice Recipe, check them out!

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