My Birthday Party – Part 4 Pumpkin And Chicken Stew

Most everything I made for my birthday party feast was vegetarian. I didn’t plan it that way, it just kind of worked out like that. But I did have two dishes that were very meaty. One was my chicken and pumpkin stew or duba wot with chicken.

Pumpkin, in most of the world, is also what we would call squash. They are both members of the same Cucurbita family. Pumpkins and squash are both fruits that are part of the gourd family. Pumpkins can be used in both sweet and savory dishes, while squash is more vegetable-oriented. The main difference would be the appearance and skin texture, and pumpkins are generally thought of as a winter squash while zucchini and crookneck are thought of as summer squash. Pumpkins are actually a type of squash.

It’s February. Not exactly pumpkin season, so when I was buying the ingredients for my meal, there were not a lot of pumpkin varieties available to me. That’s OK though. To me, they are all basically interchangeable. Acorn squash was what was available, so that is the type of squash or pumpkin that was used for my stew, along with a little zucchini too. So when making this delicious stew on your own, don’t worry if you can’t find a particular type of squash or pumpkin. It’s all good. They are all part of the same family.

Duba Wot With Chicken (Chicken and Pumpkin Stew)

Duba wot does not traditionally contain any meat, and is a vegetarian dish, but I needed something meaty for my carnivores (myself included). So I added chicken to the pot, as well as changed the recipe in other ways too. Some of my changes were done on purpose, and some were purely accidental. 🙂

2 1/2 lbs chicken, cubed

2 onions, diced medium

1- 1 1/2 TBSP garlic

2-3 TBSP Berbere spice

2 TBSP ginger

4-5 large tomatoes, diced

2 lbs pumpkins, peeled and diced medium

2-3 jalapenos, diced

1-2 large zucchini, diced

4-5 carrots, cut into matchsticks

salt & pepper to taste

1 cup dry white wine, optional

1/2-1 cup water

olive oil for cooking

Get a large pot very hot, then add the oil and the chicken. Cook until done. Add the onions, peppers and garlic and continue to cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.

Add the pumpkin and spices and continue to cook again for an additional 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, or until the pumpkin starts to soften.

Yes. You do see a lot of carrots in my stew as well, which was a mistake, but one I will gladly make a part of the stew from now on. 🙂 The addition of carrots was purely accidental. I had them cut up for something else, and I got busy, was talking and got very distracted, and accidentally added them to the stew pot. But they were a welcomed addition, and I will keep them in the recipe from here on out. Originally they were going to be mixed in with my green beans, but as you can see, that didn’t happen. So my green beans ended up being just plain green beans. 🙂

Add the tomatoes and zucchini, along with the wine and water.

Mix everything together well, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for about 20-30 minutes, stirring often.

This stew is perfect on its own, or if you want you can serve it over rice. You are going to love it either way. Learn from my mistakes, and enjoy. The way I see it, there are no mistakes in cooking. As Julia Child would say, “never apologize when cooking. It was just meant to be that way”. I whole heartedly agree. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. We all make mistakes. Don’t let them get to you. Instead, make the most out of them and turn them into a positive. 🙂 Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.