Dulce de Auyama (Colombian Pumpkin Dessert with Panela)
Pumpkin simmered slowly in panela syrup with cinnamon and cloves until the pieces are soft and the syrup has thickened around them. Five ingredients, an hour and ten minutes, eight servings.
Servings: 8
Calories: 254kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pumpkin about 1 kg
- 1 lb panela broken into pieces
- 5 cinnamon sticks
- 5 cloves
- 3 cups water
Instructions
- Wash the pumpkin well, cut it in half and scrape out the seeds and the stringy membranes.
- Cut the pumpkin into medium or small pieces and put them in a large pot with the panela broken into pieces, the cinnamon, the cloves and the water.
- Let it boil over medium heat for about 30 minutes with the lid on.
- Uncover it and let it simmer for another 30 to 45 minutes, until the syrup has thickened and the pumpkin is very soft.
- Take it off the heat and serve.
Notes
Panela is not brown sugar. It is whole cane juice boiled down and set in a block, unrefined, and it tastes of molasses and minerals in a way brown sugar does not. It comes solid, which is why the recipe says to break it: pieces dissolve, a whole block sits in the bottom of the pot. If you cannot find it, piloncillo is the same thing under a Mexican name. The two stages of cooking are doing different jobs. Covered for thirty minutes, the pumpkin softens in steam and syrup. Uncovered for another thirty to forty-five, water evaporates and the syrup thickens around it. Skipping the second stage leaves the pumpkin swimming in something watery. It is finished when the syrup coats the pieces rather than pooling under them, and it thickens further as it cools, so stop slightly before it looks right.
Nutrition
Calories: 254kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 8mg | Potassium: 594mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 53g | Vitamin A: 14480IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 2mg