[Recipe + Video] Dominican Chenchén (Cracked Corn Pilaf)

Chenchén dominicano con coco (creamy, savory, corn)

[Recipe + Video] Dominican Chenchén (Cracked Corn Pilaf)

Chenchén (Dominican cracked corn pilaf) originates from the southwest provinces of the Dominican Republic and is a delicious substitute for rice in our diet.

Course Lunch

Cuisine Caribbean, Dominican

Keyword broken corn recipe, chen chen dominican food, chenchen dominicano, crack corn recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 555kcal

Author Clara Gonzalez

Ingredients

1 cup chenchén (coarse grind cracked corn) (see notes)
1¾ cup evaporated milk [400 ml]
1¾ cup coconut milk [400 ml]
1 cups of vegetable broth unsalted
2 tablespoon butter (salted)
2 clove garlic peeled and lightly crushed
1½ tablespoon salt or to taste, divided
2 tablespoon minced parsley to garnish, optional

Instructions

Rinsing: Rinse the corn in abundant water to get rid of stray peels and excess starch.
Cooking: Combine the rinsed corn, evaporated milk, coconut milk, 1¾ cup [400 ml] of water, broth, garlic, and 1 teaspoon of salt in the pot.
Cook over medium-high heat until the liquid has reduced to about half, stirring every five minutes or so to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.
Once reduced to half, reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until it reaches the desired consistency (see notes). Be careful with splatters at this stage, and use a splatter cover if you have one.
Seasoning: Once it reaches your preferred consistency, season with salt to taste. Remove from the heat.
The garlic has probably dissolved by then, but check and remove any chunk left, if any.
Serving: Sprinkle with parsley, and serve hot with chivo guisado, bacalao guisado, or – for a non-traditional combination – with spicy shrimp.

Video

Notes

For this recipe you need to find cracked corn similar to grits, coarser than polenta. Cracked corn is available under different names. For example, the type used for chacá is a bigger grain than the one used for this dish. You can find the finer one needed for this dish under the names "crushed corn" and "coarse cornmeal" or "coarse ground cornmeal".

Some people prefer a creamy, porridge-like consistency, some prefer a pudding-like consistency (by leaving all the liquid to evaporate), and some prefer a pilaf-like consistency. For the latter, use a coarser grain, and do not add water and cook at medium-high temperature throughout so it stays more firm (graneado)

Nutrition