Oil permitted

Fasting Pumpkin with Rice and Cinnamon

Name: Fasting Pumpkin with Rice and Cinnamon
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 800 g pumpkin or squash (hokkaido, butternut or regular pumpkin — peeled and cut into 2–3 cm cubes); 200 g rice (short or long grain, rinsed in cold water); 3 tbsp honey (acacia or lime blossom; agave syrup for strict fasting); 2 tsp cinnamon, ground; 4 tbsp sunflower oil (or a mild olive oil); 1 piece onion (medium, finely chopped); 400 ml water (or mild vegetable stock); 50 g raisins (optional — add sweetness and texture); to taste salt (a small amount balances the sweetness)

Pumpkin and rice baked together with cinnamon, honey and raisins — a sweet-spiced autumn fasting dish that warms and satisfies on cold fasting days.

Prep

20 min

Cook

50 min

Total

70 min

Servings

Preparation

1. Preparing the Pumpkin

Wash the pumpkin and peel it (unless using hokkaido, whose skin becomes edible when cooked). Halve, scoop out the seeds with a spoon and cut into 2–3 cm cubes. Try to make the cubes as uniform as possible so they cook evenly.

Save the seeds: rinsed and dried pumpkin seeds make an excellent fasting snack. Season with salt and a little oil and roast in the oven at 160°C for about 15 minutes until golden.

2. Sweating the Onion and Pumpkin

In a deep saucepan or oven-proof dish, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the finely chopped onion and sweat for 5–6 minutes until softened. Add the pumpkin cubes and fry, stirring, for 5–7 minutes so they colour lightly on all sides — this caramelisation step at the start gives the dish a deeper, more layered flavour.

Add the cinnamon, stir and fry for a further minute to activate the spice in the oil — the warmth releases the aroma.

3. Adding the Rice and Liquid

Add the rinsed rice to the pan and stir so it is coated with the oil mixture. Add the honey (or agave syrup) and stir. Pour in the water or vegetable stock. Season lightly with salt — salt balances the sweetness and makes the dish more savoury.

Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to the lowest setting, cover and cook for 20–25 minutes until the rice has absorbed all the liquid.

4. Adding the Raisins and Finishing

Five minutes before the end of cooking, add the raisins if using — fold them into the dish with a spoon and cover again. The raisins will plump up and soften.

Once the rice is ready, remove from the heat and leave covered for 10 minutes to rest. This allows the rice to finish cooking in its own steam and prevents it from becoming sticky.

5. Serving

Serve warm directly from the pan or dish. Dust lightly with extra cinnamon and add a drop of honey on top for visual effect. Pairs beautifully with a bowl of fasting soup for a complete meal.

Tips

Pumpkin in the Serbian calendar: St Demetrius (26 October) and St Nicholas (19 December) — the two saints this dish is associated with — fall precisely when pumpkins are at the peak of their season. Pumpkin and squash have always been part of Serbian autumn preserves and fasting food, especially in rural areas where they grow easily and keep well through winter.

Honey and fasting: honey is permitted in Orthodox fasting as it comes from an insect, not a warm-blooded animal. However, in the strictest rules of some monastic traditions, honey is excluded along with oil and wine. If fasting strictly without honey, replace with 2 tablespoons of agave syrup or coconut sugar.

Leftovers: the dish is even better the next day — the flavours develop further. Reheat gently with a little water in a pan or in the microwave. Leftovers can also be used as a filling for fasting pies.

Complementary spices: cardamom (a pinch) alongside cinnamon gives an exotic character. Nutmeg (freshly grated, a pinch) gives a classic autumn note. For a spicy kick, add a pinch of ground ginger.

Nutritional value: pumpkin is rich in beta-carotene (vitamin A), potassium and dietary fibre. Combined with rice, the dish is complete and satisfies the energy needs of a cold autumn fasting day.