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Habichuelas con dulce
Sweet red bean cream
Dominican Lenten sweet cream of red beans with coconut milk, sweet potato, raisins and warm spices, served cold
In the Dominican Republic, Holy Week means pots of habichuelas con dulce, shared over garden walls between neighbours from Santiago to San Pedro de Macorís. Red beans are cooked soft and blended into a smooth cream, then simmered with coconut and evaporated milk, cinnamon and cloves, with soft cubes of sweet potato and plump raisins. Served cold, it tastes like a spiced coconut custard with a gentle earthy depth; nobody guesses beans the first time. It's traditionally topped with little crunchy milk biscuits. Chef's tip: push the blended beans through a sieve; it takes two minutes and gives the silky texture that marks a good batch.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the bean cream
- 1 ¾ lb tinned red kidney beans2 tins, drained and rinsed
- 2 ½ cups water
For the pudding
- 1 ¾ cups coconut milk
- 1 ½ cups evaporated milk
- 5 ½ oz sugar
- 9 oz white-fleshed sweet potato (batata)peeled, in 1.5 cm cubes
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 ⅛ oz raisins
- ½ oz butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
To serve
- 3 ½ oz small milk biscuits (galletitas de leche) (optional)check they are made without lard
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Blend 1 ¾ lb tinned red kidney beans with 2 ½ cups water until completely smooth. Pour through a sieve into a large pan, pressing with a spoon, and discard the skins left behind.
5 minStep 2: Add 1 ¾ cups coconut milk, 1 ½ cups evaporated milk, 5 ½ oz sugar, 9 oz white-fleshed sweet potato (batata), 2 cinnamon sticks, 6 whole cloves and ¼ tsp salt. Bring slowly to a simmer over a medium heat, stirring often.
8 minStep 3: Simmer over a low heat for 20–25 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom every few minutes, until the sweet potato is tender and the cream coats the back of a spoon. A common mistake is leaving it unstirred: the bean starch sticks and scorches on the bottom and the whole pot tastes burnt.
25 minStep 4: Stir in 2 ⅛ oz raisins, ½ oz butter and 1 tsp vanilla extract and cook for 3 minutes more, until the raisins are plump. Fish out the cinnamon sticks and as many cloves as you can find.
3 minStep 5: Cool, then chill for at least 3 hours; it thickens to a pourable custard. If it gets too thick, loosen with a splash of milk.
180 minStep 6: Serve cold in cups, with 3 ½ oz small milk biscuits (galletitas de leche) scattered on top just before eating so they stay crunchy.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does habichuelas con dulce take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of coconut milk?
- Single cream, same amount (not dairy free).
- What can I use instead of evaporated milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
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