Chenchén Recipe (Cracked Corn Pilaf)

Chenchén Recipe (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 2 hours

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 80kcal

Author Clara Gonzalez

Ingredients

3 cups peeled , cracked corn
3 tablespoons of olive oil or butter
5 cups of vegetable broth , salted to taste (see notes)

Instructions

Rinse the corn in abundant water to get rid of stray peels and excess starch.
Soak the corn in abundant water for two hours. Drain all the water before cooking.
Heat 3 tablespoons of oil or butter over low heat.
Add the cracked corn and cook and stir until it changes to a darker yellow color.
Add broth and cook over medium heat until all the liquid has evaporated.
Remove from the heat and cover. Let it settle for 5 minutes.
Fluff with a fork and serve (it should be "al dente")
Serve with chivo guisado and/or habichuelas guisadas.

Notes

I have encountered several variations of this dish, probably due to different family traditions. Most people add milk to it, some add coconut milk. You can try these by substituting milk or coconut milk for half the broth.

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".

Nutrition