Spicy Pumpkin Roti Filling

By Daisann McLane

Total Time: 45 minutes
Rating: 3(14)
Notes: Read community notes

The roti, the delectable, fat, folded-up curry sandwich that is Indian Trinidad's main contribution to world cuisine, is a thoroughly creole invention that has no equivalent in India. (The word roti, in India, describes a kind of griddle bread.) Trinidad's roti begins with an enormous, almost pizza-sized flat bread that's often layered with a thin coating of powdery ground yellow peas. In Trinidad's top roti shops along El Socorro and the Eastern Main Road, the bread is slapped on the griddle when you order; you can watch it hiss and bubble as you wait. Then it's tucked like a blanket around a meat, fish or vegetable curry, wrapped in wax paper and foil, and the hot square package placed in a paper bag with a stack of napkins.

Featured in: Food; Trinidad on the Hudson

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Ingredients

Yield:Filling for 4 rotis

1tablespoon vegetable oil or ghee
½-inch knob of peeled, fresh ginger
1cinnamon stick
2½pounds peeled and seeded Jamaican pumpkin (see note), cut into 1-inch cubes (about 3¼ pounds unpeeled pumpkin)
1teaspoon garam masala (preferably Turban or Chief brand)
Salt to taste

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Heat the oil or ghee in a large pot over high heat. Add the ginger and cinnamon stick and sizzle for 1 minute.
Step 2
Add the pumpkin and sprinkle with the garam masala. Stir for 1 or 2 minutes over high heat, until the pumpkin is coated with the spices. Watch carefully; do not burn the spices.
Step 3
Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and let simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the pumpkin is soft.
Step 4
Remove and discard the ginger and cinnamon. Mash the pumpkin with a potato masher into a course puree. Add salt to taste, stir and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes over low heat, or until the excess moisture evaporates. (The mixture should be the consistency of a thick puree). Let cool a few minutes before adding to roti.