Libyan Spicy Pumpkin Dip

Name: Libyan Spicy Pumpkin Dip
Yield: Serves Six to Eight
Cuisine: Libyan
Ingredients: ½–1 red jalapeño or serrano chilli, chopped, or cayenne pepper, to taste; 5–10 ml/1–2 tsp ground cumin; 1.5–2.5 ml/¼–½ tsp ground ginger; 5 ml/1 tsp paprika; 1.5–2.5 ml/¼–½ tsp curry powder; 75 g/3 oz canned chopped tomatoes or diced fresh tomatoes and 15–30 ml/1–2 tbsp tomato purée (paste); pinch of sugar, if necessary; juice of ½ lemon, or to taste; salt; 30 ml/2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves, to garnish; 45–60 ml/3–4 tbsp olive oil; 1 onion, finely chopped; 5–8 garlic cloves, roughly chopped; 675 g/1½ lb pumpkin, peeled and diced

Preparation info

Serves
Six to Eight

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Complete Guide to Traditional Jewish Cooking

By Marlena Spieler

Published 2016

About

This spicy Sephardi dip from the Libyan-Jewish community in Israel is a beautiful orange colour. Many people love serving it for Sukkot and leftovers can be stored for at least a week in the refrigerator. Serve it with chunks of bread or raw vegetables to dip into it.

Ingredients

45–60 ml/3–4 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped

Africa
Libya
Condiment
Starter
Mediterranean
Gluten-free
Vegan
Spicy
Sukkot

Method

Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion and half the garlic and fry until softened. Add the pumpkin, then cover and cook for about 10 minutes, or until half-tender.
Add the spices to the pan and cook for 1–2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, chilli, sugar and salt and cook over a medium-high heat until the liquid has evaporated.