The Bajan Conkie — a delicious blend of cornmeal, spices and patience
The word Conkie is used in Barbados but practically the same recipe can be found in Jamaica known as Duckunoo, Blue-Draws or Tie-a-leaf (bless the Jamaicans). In Mexico and other Spanish-speaking Caribbean and South American countries they prepare a dish called Tamales, which uses the same base ingredients and cooking methods but is savoury.
I admittedly have a special love for Conkies. This is not just because of their rich, satisfying taste but because of the memories and impressions of my childhood and culture they evoke every time I prepare and eat them. They are unique in taste and take you on a journey through the past of Barbados, with ingredients and methods that can be attributed to the various people that inhabited Barbados over the last 500 years.
The Arawaks and Caribs used maize as their staple starch and one of the ways they would preserve it was to dry and grind the corn into meal – a coarse-grained corn flour. This meal was used to make breads and other accompaniments for their diet that consisted predominantly of fish. It is thought that in the absence of wheat and wheat flour that later inhabitants of the island would have adopted cornmeal (also known as Polenta) as a substitute, bringing a new taste and texture to recipes they would have brought with them from Europe and Africa.
The majority of African slaves brought to the Caribbean and Barbados are thought to have originated from West Africa, such that it is likely that many foods eaten by the slaves would have been influenced by West African cuisine. In Ghana there is a dish called “Kenkey”, from which it is likely that the name and concept of the Conkie was derived. The Ghanian Kenkey is a corn meal, sourdough mixture steamed in a banana or other large leaf. It would be served as a starch with meat, fish or vegetables, almost like a type of bread as opposed to pudding.
The inclusion of sugar in cooking and baking came predominantly out of Europe, and was both a cause and effect of the sugar and slave trade between Africa, the Caribbean and Europe. The idea of including sugar, spices and fruit to an African dish probably came as a result of these ingredients being available. I like to think that the Conkie is a history lesson in itself, although some of my understanding of its origins could be wrong.
I was never taught to make Conkies explicitly but remember what I saw my mother and aunt add to the mixing bowl. Plus I was known to hang around the kitchen out of curiosity but moreover a very active appetite. Nevertheless, hanging around the kitchen always meant being put to work grating coconuts and pumpkin, as well as measuring the ingredients. Speaking of ingredients, let me just give you the recipe that I’ve developed.
If you’re in the UK or Europe, most ingredients can be obtained from your supermarket. Corn meal (not cornflour – don’t make that mistake) can be probably found in the so-called “ethnic aisle” or drop into your local Asian or African supermarket. You will probably have to get the banana leaves from the Asian supermarket (last time I bought 8 leaves for £1.25). As an alternative you can use baking paper and aluminium wrap, but this is frowned upon locally and considered an unacceptable compromise.
This recipe should provide 12 Conkies:
- 2 cups Cornmeal (this is the main ingredient and body of the Conkie)
- 1 Cup grated Pumpkin. I typically use Butternut Squash in November as all of the pumpkins have disappeared with Halloween).
- 1 cup grated coconut (Can also use 1 cup of desiccated coconut, which avoids grating and is easier to find). If you have the coconut water/milk, keep that to use as the liquid in the mixture.
- 1 cup sugar (add more if you want to have a really sweet dish)
- ½ Cup grated Sweet Potato (You can leave this out as it doesn’t add a lot. In my case it adds some sweetness as I avoid too much sugar, plus it can support the consistency of the mixture if the pumpkin falls apart when steamed).
- ½ cup raisins (add more if you love the taste of dried fruit)
- ½ cup plain flour
- 1 Tbs mix of Cinnamon and Nutmeg (adjust this based on which taste you prefer)
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 100g melted Butter or Margarine
- (some people add 1 or 2 eggs to get a tighter-bound mixture but this reduces the shelf-life)
Start by mixing the cornmeal, plain flour and sugar. Make sure that the mix is more yellow than white. If not, add more cornmeal to make sure that the balance is given to the cornmeal flavour and texture. If more cornmeal is added, add a commensurate amount of sugar.
Stir in the raisins into the meal mix, as this makes it easier to stir without the fruit sticking together. You get a better distribution of fruit in the mix.
Add the grated pumpkin, coconut and sweet potato to the flour mixture, stirring it in until it looks loose and grainy.
Make a hole in the middle of the mixture and pour in the melted butter followed by the cinnamon, nutmeg and essence. Before stirring, have a cup of liquid - water, milk or coconut water/milk prepared. Stir in the butter, spices and essence into the dry ingredients, slowly adding liquid until no more dry mix is seen. However, do not make the mixture too soft and wet, as it is going to be steamed. The texture should now look like the picture below and drop slowly from a spoon.
If the mixture is too runny then add more cornmeal and sugar as it will not set. If it too crumbly, then add more butter and liquid, else it will fall apart when cooked.
The banana leaves should be cut into as close to squares as possible about 20x20 cm, removing the rib of the leaf. Some of them might tear but they can be doubled up to reinforce them. Once cut, wash the banana leaves in warm water to remove any remaining dirt or oil. If purchased from the Asian supermarket the leaves are already wilted due to freezing or packaging and will easily bend. If coming directly from a tree they will be firm and need to be slightly singed over a flame or stove top in order to soften the leaf.
For each square of banana leaf, add 2 – 3 tablespoons of the mixture to the centre, shaping it into a bar shape, as shown below
Fold the leaves like a tight parcel, ensuring that there is no seepage of the mixture or holes for liquid to enter. If there is any seepage or holes, then wrap another banana leaf around the parcel.
The Conkies are now ready to be steamed. I use a multi-layered steamer but a large pot of water and a metal colander can also be used. In the latter case the Conkies are placed in the colander to avoid them being immersed in water. It is important that they are steamed and not boiled, as immersing them in water will not allow the mixture to solidify.
They take a while to steam. I would usually leave them for 60 minutes steaming unattended then press them with my finger to see if they are still soft. If they are firm then I would leave them for another 10 minutes. If they are still soft, then I would leave them for another 30 minutes.
It is worth noting they can take up to 90 minutes to steam, depending on how well wrapped they are or the moisture in the mixture.
To serve the Conkies, remove them from the steamer and leave them wrapped in the banana leaf to cool for a few minutes, which also increases their firmness.
They can be eaten on their own as a dessert/pudding or alongside any type of fried fish or fish cakes as a main dish.
I would have also had them with my morning coffee or tea for breakfast as they are really very filling. If serving a single person, they would be presented with one full banana-leaf-wrapped package, while for crowds they would be opened and sliced on a plate decorated with the steamed banana leaves.
