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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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's concón?
Concón is the crust of crispy rice formed at the bottom of the pot when you cook rice Dominican-style.
What makes a concón perfect?
It is perfectly crispy.
It is a thin film.
It is not burnt.
How to make it
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.
Rice to water ratio
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.
More tips
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
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 lunchtime.
Concón elsewhere
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! 🙂
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! 🙂
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.
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… Read more »
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… Read more »
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… Read more »
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!
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… Read more »
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!