Cooking Bajan Style: Conkies

Remember a little while back we talked about the one and only conkie of Barbados? Today, we thought as part of our celebration of independence we would share with you the recipe so maybe, if you are daring enough that is, you could try making your own conkies. Take a look below! 

CONKIE RECIPE

 2 cups corn flour
1/2 cup flour
3/4 lb finely grated pumpkin
6 oz margarine/shortening melted
3/4 lb sweet potato
3 cups grated coconut
1 egg
1 tsp salt
4 oz raisins
3/4 lb brown sugar
1 cup whole milk
1 tsp spice
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp almond essence
*Banana, Plantain or Fig leaves (singed over fire)

• Combine grated coconut, sweet potato & pumpkin. 
• Mix in sugar, spices, flour, corn flour, salt and raisins. 
• Beat Egg and add to mixture
• Add milk, margarine and almond essence. 
• Mix ingredients well. Mixture should be thick and drop slowly from a spoon.
• Place 2 to 3 heaping tablespoons in the centre of each banana leaf square.Fold the banana leaf neatly around the mixture. Be careful not to tear the leaf, else the mixture will leak.
•Steam conkies over rack of boiling water in a large saucepan or steamer until firm to the touch.

*Banana leaves are used to wrap the conkie mixture, therefore you need leaves that aren't shredded. Strip leaves from stalk with a sharp knife. Leaves are very delicate and tear easily. To use them in your recipe, you must make them pliable by briefly singeing them over an open flame. If your leaves start to curl up, that means you had them on the flame too long. If your leaves spontaneously combust, that means you were using old, dried up leaves. Please use green leaves! Tear your singed leaves into individual squares to wrap your conkies in. Many recipes recommend 8" x 8" squares, but they can be bigger depending on how big you want your conkies to be. Cut the leaves into pieces that you can comfortably wrap the conkies in.