Ingredients
Stew
- 200 gdried mung beans, soaked 4 hours
- 300 gdried corn kernels, soaked overnight (or 400 g fresh corn kernels)
- 500 gpumpkin, peeled and cut in 3 cm chunks
- 2 tbspcoconut oil
- 1large onion, chopped
- 4garlic cloves, crushed
- 1red chilli, sliced (optional)
- 400 mlcoconut milk
- 1.2 litreswater
- 2 tspsalt
Greens
- 150 gpumpkin leaves or moringa leaves, stripped from the stalks
- Juice of 1 lime, to finish
Directions
- Drain the soaked corn, cover with 1.2 litres fresh water and boil steadily for 45 minutes until the kernels are chalky-soft and split when pressed. Fresh corn needs only 10 minutes.
- Add the drained mung beans and simmer a further 20 minutes until they are tender and beginning to break down and thicken the liquid.
- Meanwhile heat the coconut oil in a small pan and fry the onion, garlic and chilli over medium heat for 6–8 minutes until soft and lightly golden.
- Stir the fried aromatics into the pot with the salt, then add the pumpkin and cook 12–15 minutes until a knife slides through with no resistance.
- Pour in the coconut milk and bring back to a bare simmer – do not boil it hard or it will split – cooking 5 minutes more.
- Crush some of the pumpkin against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon so the stew thickens to a loose, spoonable porridge.
- Fold in the pumpkin or moringa leaves and cook 3 minutes only, until they collapse and turn deep green.
- Rest off the heat for 5 minutes, sharpen with lime juice, taste for salt and serve hot in deep bowls, on its own or with rice.
Technique
- Batar daan is home cooking, not restaurant cooking – proportions shift with what the garden gives. Corn is the constant, mung beans and pumpkin the usual partners.
- Dried corn is the traditional starting point in Timor-Leste, where maize is dried on the cob over the hearth. It gives a firmer bite and a maltier flavour than sweetcorn.
- Keep the coconut milk for the end. Long boiling makes it grainy and dulls its sweetness against the earthy beans.
Substitutions
- Hominy or tinned white maize can stand in for the dried corn and needs only warming through.
- Spinach, kale or sweet potato leaves replace pumpkin leaves, which are rarely sold outside the tropics.
Variations
- Batar da’an with grated fresh coconut instead of coconut milk, stirred through at the end.
- A soupier version with more water, eaten as a breakfast porridge.
History
Corn, mung beans and pumpkin boiled together; maize arrived with the Portuguese and became the highland staple ahead of rice.
Frequently asked questions
What is Batar Daan?
Batar Daan is a main from Timor-Leste: homely stew of corn, mung beans and pumpkin. Corn, mung beans and pumpkin boiled together; maize arrived with the Portuguese and became the highland staple ahead of rice.
How long does Batar Daan take to make?
Batar Daan takes 20 min of preparation and 1 hr 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Batar Daan?
Yes, within limits. Hominy or tinned white maize can stand in for the dried corn and needs only warming through. Spinach, kale or sweet potato leaves replace pumpkin leaves, which are rarely sold outside the tropics.
What is the most important thing to get right in Batar Daan?
Pour in the coconut milk and bring back to a bare simmer – do not boil it hard or it will split – cooking 5 minutes more.
