To tell you about the Secrets of the Perfect Concón first let’s start by telling you what concón is, and then I'll let you in my secrets to the perfect one.
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Concón is the crust of crispy rice formed at the bottom of the pot when you cook rice Dominican-style, but if you are not Dominican, and have never lived in the Dominican Republic, you will probably not understand the passion that Dominicans feel for concón. My suggestion is that you try it, you could be surprised.
What makes a concón perfect?
It is perfectly crispy.
It is a thin film.
It is not burnt.
How do you achieve the perfect concón?
Start with the pot:
Use the correct cooking pot. Preferably cast iron or cast aluminum, however, cast aluminum is the standard in the Dominican Republic. You also need the perfect-sized pot; a pot that is too small will tend to burn the rice at the bottom. For a perfect concón the rice, once cooked, should not occupy more than 3/4 of the pot (better yet if it is only half).
To start, you need to quick-cure your pot, if your pot is not already seasoned. To do this add vegetable oil (one that is good for frying) and cover the bottom of the pot with it. Add salt. Heat oil until it is hot enough for frying, then add water at room temperature (careful with splatters!). That will seal the pores in the pot, creating a Teflon-like film.
Follow with the right proportions:
To get a good concón you need to make good rice. It should be firm but chewable. To achieve this you will need to get the right proportion between rice and water. Too much water will ruin your rice, too little and the concón will burn. In our rice recipes, we give you the proportions we use, however over time you may need to adjust the proportions to the type of rice you use, the stove you use and the pot you have. The perfect rice can rarely be achieved at the first try.
Keep an eye on your rice:
You will need to stir the rice very often to prevent the rice at the bottom from overcooking and eventually burning. Every time you stir it make sure to remove the film that is forming at the bottom, concón has to be produced in the last stage of cooking, if you leave a film of rice to stick to the bottom too early it will be too thick and will burn.
The final stage:
When the water has evaporated, and it is time to cover the rice, do so promptly. Pour two tablespoons of oil (optional) and stir again removing the film at the bottom. Cover with a tight-fitting lid.
After 10 to 15 minutes (depending on how much rice you are cooking) repeat the process above, but leave a thin coat of rice at the bottom. Once the rice is ready (firm and chewable) put the rice in the serving bowl immediately. If you leave the rice in the pot for too long, the concón will get soggy. After you serve the rice wait a couple of minutes for the concón to cool down a bit and settle. Scrape off the bottom with a spoon (a wooden spoon if you do not want to scratch your seasoned cast iron pots) and serve alongside your rice. Don’t be mortified by the noise, it’s a big chorus in the Dominican Republic at lunch time.
Just a final note: Concón is ours, but it’s not a unique concept in the least. It’s nurungji in Korea, tahdig in Iran, hkaka in Iraq, raspa in Cuba, cocolón in Ecuador, socarrat in Spain, pega’o in Puerto Rico, guo ba in China, graten in Haiti, pegado and cucayo in Colombia, kanzo or emo asi in Ghana, tutong in Philippine, xoon in Senegal, koge in Japan, etc.
In Trinidad it’s called Bunbun or just bun! 🙂
New word, thanks!
Thanks for sharing this! As you read on my blog, we do make it in Haiti but never before was I able to get such an accurate description on how to obtain it! 🙂
Isn’t it amazing that so many people around the world love and eat this?
How did you get the little concon bowl to plate the beans in the above picture? It looks wonderful and I would love to serve guests like that.
If the pot is properly seasoned, and you follow all the suggestions, let it cool down a bit, the concón will shrink and it will be easy to remove it in one piece. It does take a bit of practice.
Or you can cheat and use a non-stick pot like I did. 🙂
In Persian cuisine it is called tahdig, however I feel that ours is crispier. Persians also place potato slices and bread at the bottom of the pan to make potato or bread concon: delicious.
Question: is there any particular trick to get the concon in a single piece? Maybe adding more oil?
You need an old, very well-cured pot. Or you can cheat and use a non-stick pot like I did. 😉
Hi, first i have to say i love all the recipies, thank you for sharing them
now my main concern is this, i know how to cook many dishes and i enjoy and love cooking yet thwres no way i can make cocon not even to svae my life please help…lol
i cover my rice qith a funda lol dont laugh old school thing and is always graneado meaning that firm comsistency yet no cocon…i cured my pot and nothing
I think you may need a bigger pot.
Random thoughts from an admirer…
Finding your website has been like falling in love with a Dominican man–intoxicating and addictive. I am an avid Dominican cook but finding your site has taught me many little tricks I did not know. I came to the U.S. very young but I inherited a love for preparing Dominican dishes. I love the fact that you have married Dominican tradition with excellent writing and stylish photography. I could go and on…
Thanks so much for the kind words!
We Haitians have the same thing!! We call it gratin. I was so happy when I went to a Dominican rest and saw that our spanish cousins were doing the same thing we do, awesome!
Alex, food-wise we have a lot more in common than that. Did you read Aunt Ilana's post on Haitian cooking?
Lived in the Cibao for a couple years and love the food. I’ve learned how to make several Dominican meals to share wit family/friends but I haven’t been able to get a good concon. My rice is great (I actually use your recipe – it’s amazing) but the concon never gets cooked enough to be toasted or crunchy enough. I have a cast aluminum pot and I’m trying to make it in a electric stove. Do you have any advice to help me out?
I use different types of stove to test some recipes (I have gas, induction, electric and infrared). The process is basically the same, but easier on the one we’re used to the most. Once you remove the rice from the pot, you can leave on the stove on low heat for a minute, that might help, and what’s what I do when mine is too soggy.
I use different types of stoves to test some recipes (I have gas, induction, electric and infrared). The process is basically the same, but easier on the one we’re used to the most. Once you remove the rice from the pot, you can leave on the stove on low heat for a minute, that might help, and what’s what I do when mine is too soggy.
In Puerto Rico we call it “pegao”In Cuba they call it raspa. I love it with any name .Mine always comes out great.
I just finished cooking diner for my wife. I made concon crust filled with vegetale stir fry and a seafood: ablend of shrimp, calamari rings and bay scallops. The stir fry included: green peppers, broccoli, rep peppers, snap peas, snows pea pods, white onions, red onions, mushrooms, carrots,bok choy, bamboo shoots, salt blackpeppeper, and garlic.
Your wife is very lucky.
There is nothing better in this world than a plate of concon with beans and la grasita de la carne .. now im drooling
My grandfather was born in Dominican Republic , some of my favorite family meals as a child were seeing concón on the table, yum! Like chicarrones or Americans with movie style popcorn- only better!