Conkies (Barbadian/Bajan Style)

Learn how to make some delicious Barbadian (Bajan) style Conkies. A sweet treat that is made from cornflour, pumpkin, coconut, sweet potato with a medley of spices that is wrapped in banana leaves and gently steamed which results in a moist pudding.

When people think about the Caribbean they often think about the stereotypical foods which tends to be main meals.

Little do they know that the islands love their desserts and sweet treats.

Some of these delicacies are exactly the same thing but referred to by a different name, while others are exclusive to that specific island.

What are conkies?

Conkie/Konkee also known as Stew Dumplings, in short, it is a sweet pudding that is primarily made from cornflour (the finest grade of cornmeal), grated pumpkin, sweet potato, coconut, sugar, spices, essence and butter.

All of these ingredients are add to a bowl and mixed together sometimes with milk and/water. There a divide here, with some people omitting any liquid, while others use water or milk.

The same principle applies to raisins, with some people including raisins and others simply leave it out.

Like most recipes, it will vary slightly.

Once all of the ingredients are combined to make a paste/puree type of consistency, a few tablespoons are place in the centre of a singed banana leaves which is wrapped into a parcel.

Twine or the edges of the banana leaves are used to secure it, some people even double wrap the parcels in foil, so it acts as a protective layer.

The parcels are then steamed in a large saucepan with the stalks of the banana leaves placed at the bottom of the pot with a small amount of water and steamed until a tender moist pudding is formed.

Other Caribbean islands make their own variations of this pudding. For instance in Jamaica this dish is known as Blue Draws/Tie-a-leaf or Duckunu/Duckunoo.

In Antigua and St Vincent and Grenadines, their version is also known as Ducana but the Antiguan version unlike St Vincent has more of a savory spin to theirs.

Other islands such as St Kitts and Nevis, Grenada refer to it as Conkie(s) too. However Trinidad and Tobago, St Lucia know it as Paime.

For Barbadians, Conkie a celebratory food, and mostly eaten around Independence day which is 30th November.

Like many of the Caribbean cuisines, this one has West African origins, it looks very similar to Ghana's Kenkey and Nigeria's Koki Corn, although both of these dishes are savoury and not sweet.

Ingredients you need

Recipe preparation

The recipe is very simple and straight forward, if this is your first time making conkie(s), no worries as you don't need banana leaves.

I personally prefer to just add all of the ingredients to the bowl and mix them together, adding the cornflour and coconut milk, if needed as the last ingredients.

You have better control over the consistency but doing that, in my opinion.

Whatever your approach is, the aim is to create a soft, puree consistency, it shouldn't be too runny and definitely not firm like a dough, that is a no, no.

Banana leaves are preferred for this recipe because they are what is traditionally used for steamed pudding recipes.

However, if you can't get hold of banana leaves, then parchment paper wrapped in foil is another alternative.

I will show you how to wrap, using either one of these.

Once the mixture is ready for steaming, you will want to prepare the banana leaves. You might find it more worthwhile to sort the cutting aspect of the recipe first.

They should be soft and fold-able, as the step by step pictures explain how to do this.

You will need to spoon a few tablespoons onto the leaf, in the centre or off centre is best and fold into a parcel.

You don't want to over pack the banana leaf or you will face difficulty when folding the leaf.

At this point, if you don't have banana leaves, you would use the parchment paper with foil method instead.

Then the parcels would need to be steamed, I like to use my steaming basket. I place the basket in the centre of a large saucepan with a small amount of water and steam until tender.

That's is pretty much, how you do it, fairly straight forward and not too complex.

The steps

• Please a steaming basket in a large saucepan filled ⅓ with water.
• Preheat the saucepan on medium heat while you make your conkies
• In a large bowl, add all of the ingredients - pumpkin, sweet potato, coconut, raw cane sugar, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, pink salt, vegan butter, coconut milk, vanilla essence, mixed essence and cornflour.

• Mix everything together to make a smooth paste consistency, add the coconut milk if needed, but don't add too much as you need the mixture to be on the thicker side
• Once the mixture is ready, set it aside.
• Do a taste test of the mixture in case you want to add any additional sugar.
• Cut the banana leaves into 8x8 inches or use 8x8inches of parchment paper and 10x 10 inches of aluminium foil (if you don't have banana leaves). You will need roughly 20 banana leaves or 20 parchment paper and aluminium foil (each) (if you are using that method) and then set aside.

• Place the banana leaves in a large bowl with boiling water (must be boiling) and completely saturate for a few minutes.
• Then drain off the water and blot the leaves dry.
• Microwave the banana leaves for up to one minute (this will soften them).

• For the banana leaf method - place the banana leaf on a clean flat surface.
• Add a few tablespoons (up to 3) of the mixture in the centre of the leaf, being careful not to overfill.
• Use the banana leaf to fold one side vertically towards the centre. Then fold the other half towards the centre. Then fold upwards and then finally downwards, it should look like a parcel.
• Place some twine underneath the banana leaf and tie it to secure the top and bottom folds, so it doesn't open and repeat the above steps with the rest of the mixture

• For the aluminium foil method  - place the aluminium foil with the parchment paper directly on top of a clean flat surface.
• Add a few tablespoons (up to 3) of the mixture in the centre of the parchment paper, being careful not to overfill.
• Use the foil to fold one side of the parchment paper vertically towards the centre. Then fold the other half towards the centre. Now follow on by folding in both sides of the foil, then fold upwards twice and then finally downwards twice, it should look like a sealed parcel.

• Repeat the above steps with the rest of the mixture.
• Carefully add the wrapped parcels onto the steaming basket (you may need to do this in batches depending on the amount/size of the steaming basket).
• Cover the saucepan with the lid on medium heat.
• Steam the parcels for up to an hour (until they are tender) (you can test the readiness around 45-50 minutes by carefully unwrapping the parcel to see if they are ready).
• Once steamed, allow to cool down before serving them.

Notes and tips

• This mixture makes up to 20 conkies.
• For best results, it is better to serve/eat them immediately.
• Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container (when cool) for up to 5 days.
• If you want a smaller batch then you will need to half the recipe instead.
• Cornflour is also known as cornmeal, you will want the one that is of an ultra fine consistency.
• For best results, try to obtain banana leaves, not only is it more authentic but it enhances the taste.
• You can usually buy banana leaves from Asian supermarkets.
• When purchasing banana leaves, inspect them first, they should be dark green with very few light spots and not brown.
• You may not need to use the coconut milk, have it on standby and use it in increments if required.
• Sometimes the banana leaves may split even when softened, if that is the case, simply wrap it on some aluminium foil.
• If you don't have a steaming basket, you can use strips of banana leaves, or scrunch up some foil and have the parcels resting on that instead (so it doesn't touch the water).
• If you cannot get hold of calabaza pumpkin (Caribbean pumpkin) use butternut squash instead.
• Do not overfill the banana leaf/foil or you will find it difficult to fold the edges.

More Caribbean sweet treat recipes to try

• Pumpkin Pone
• Cassava Pone
• Jamaican Bread Pudding
• Sorrel Cake
• Peanut Drops
• Crustless Pumpkin Pie With Condensed Milk
• Grater Cake
• Vegan Ginger Cake
• Cornmeal Pudding
• Jamaican Toto

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