This island favourite builds on the flavour and texture of pumpkin, tender beef, and delicious dumplings. Filled with hearty ground provisions such as yams and sweet potatoes, this makes a make a filling family dinner.
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time1 hourhr15 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr35 minutesmins
Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: Jamaican
Keyword: beef, hearty soup, pumpkin
Servings: 10servings
Author: Monique Creary
Ingredients
450gramsboneless stewing beefcut into small chunks
650gramsJamaican pumpkincut into small chunks
1mediumoniondiced
2clovesgarlicminced
1largepotatopeeled and cubed
2mediumcarrotssliced
1tspsalt
3sprigsfresh thyme
1bay leaf
1stalkscallion or green onionbruised
5pimento seeds
1Scotch bonnet pepper
1largeJamaican sweet potatopeeled and sliced
2packagespumpkin beef or chicken soup mix
3litreswater (approx. 12 cups)divided
1tspground black pepper
For the spinners/dumplings:
1 1/2cupsall-purpose flour
1/2tspsalt
1/2 cupcupwatermore if needed
Instructions
Bring 2 litres of water to a boil in a large stock pot.
Add pumpkin, beef, onions and garlic to the pot. Stir and cook partially covered over medium-high heat for 45 minutes.
Mash some of the larger pieces of pumpkin in the pot with a fork. Add in the carrots, potato, and yam.
Stir in the salt, thyme, bay leaf, green onion, pimento seeds and Scotch bonnet pepper. Pour in the remaining 1 litre of water and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook for 15 minutes.
Stir the sweet potatoes, soup mix and spinners.
To make the spinners/dumplings:
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour and salt.
Gradually pour in enough water while stirring with your hand or a fork until it forms a stiff dough.
Pinch off a small portion of the dough and roll in your palms into a long, tapered shape and drop into the boiling soup. Cook for 15 minutes.
Add ground pepper and more salt if needed to the soup to taste.
Remove thyme sprigs, scallion and Scotch bonnet pepper before serving.
Video
Notes
When it comes to the scallion or green onions, you want to bruise it before adding it to the pot, in order to help release more of the flavour into the soup. You can do this my hitting it with a blunt object on a cutting board, or use the back of the knife blade.
The pumpkin is what gives the soup it's colour, so you want it to dissolve into the soup as it cooks. Chopping it up small before adding it into the boiling water will help with this. You can also opt to blend some of the larger, cooked pieces in a blender and then add it back into the boiling soup.
Jamaican sweet potato cooks quickly, so this is why it's added near the end of the cooking process to prevent it from dissolving into the soup.
The ground provisions you use is up to you. Feel free to mix and match, but just be aware that some cook more quickly than others.
If you can't find packaged soup mix, you can use 2-3 bouillon cubes. You can also use chicken or beef stock, just omit some of the water that is called for in the recipe.
If you don't want noodles in your soup, you can hold a mesh sieve half-submerged into the boiling soup as you add in your soup mixes. Stir slightly until the dry stock is dissolved. Then you can lift up the sieve to remove the noodles.
The Scotch bonnet pepper will add some extra heat and flavour to your soup if it bursts due to overcooking. If you like the heat, then just prick it with a knife before adding it to the soup, or add it in earlier so it breaks down.