Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Batar Da'an
A humble Timorese stew of corn, mung beans, and pumpkin simmered soft in a light, comforting pot.
Timorese · easy · serves 6
prep 15 min · cook 75 min
~226 cal · 9g protein · 38g carbs · 6g fat · 7g fiber · 6g sugars · 1g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Batar da'an, which simply means "corn and beans" in Tetum, is one of the everyday staples of Timor-Leste, one of the world's youngest nations. It is a plain, nourishing pot in which field corn, mung beans, and chunks of pumpkin are simmered slowly together until the corn softens and everything thickens into a gentle, stew-like whole.
It grows straight out of the island's subsistence gardens, made from the reliable staples a family grows for itself, and it carries the unhurried, uncomplicated character of Timorese home cooking. There is no long list of spices; the sweetness of the pumpkin and the earthiness of the corn and beans carry it.
Filling and cheap, it is the kind of dish that feeds a household simply and well, made from staples grown a few steps from the kitchen.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and gluten-, dairy-, egg-, nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 6
1.5 cups dried corn kernels (or ), soaked overnight
1 cup mung beans, soaked
1 lb pumpkin or squash, cubed
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
to taste a little chili
2 tbsp oil
to taste salt
to taste black pepper
Instructions
1
Simmer the drained corn in fresh water for about 40 minutes, until it begins to soften.
✎ Chef’s note
Dried corn and mung beans both take time to soften, so start them early and do not rush; they should be tender before the pumpkin goes in.
2
Add the mung beans and cook 20 minutes more.
3
Soften the onion, garlic, and chili in the oil, then stir them into the pot.
4
Add the pumpkin and simmer 15 minutes, until everything is tender and slightly thickened.
5
Season generously with salt and pepper and serve warm, on its own or with rice.
Dili home cooking.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Dili. Timor-Leste became independent in 2002 and its kitchen carries four centuries of Portuguese contact behind that: coffee grown in the highlands and a bread and pastry habit sitting beside Southeast Asian cassava, coconut and tamarind. The fish comes out of water on both sides of a narrow island.
🗺️
Timor-Leste. The beans in batar daan are mung beans, cooked down with corn and pumpkin until it thickens into something between a stew and a mash. Its classic partners are ikan sabuko, Spanish mackerel marinated in tamarind, and budu, a raw relish of tomato, mint, lime and onion that does the job a pickle would elsewhere.
🌍
Asia. A grain line runs across the continent. Rice dominates the wet south and east, wheat the drier north and west, and the tools follow it: the wok and the steamer where rice is milled, the tandoor and the griddle where wheat is ground. Tea travels the other way, drunk green, black, salted, buttered or with milk depending how far it got from China.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Timor-Leste
Jagung BoseThe Timorese corn staple: dried corn and red beans slow-cooked until creamy in coconut milk, humble everyday nourishment.
Ikan SabukoMackerel marinated in tamarind and lime, then grilled with basil and chili, the fresh coastal favourite of Timor-Leste.
Babilak Ai-luka (Cassava and Coconut Balls)Timorese sweet fritters of grated cassava and fresh coconut bound with brown sugar and a little basil, rolled into balls and fried golden.
Browse all Timor-Leste recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan.
Storing it: Stews and braises keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated and often taste better the next day. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.
Make it a Timor-Leste meal
Kafé TimorDrink
Babilak Ai-luka (Cassava and Coconut Balls)Dessert
Ikan SabukoLunch
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Frequently asked questions
What is Batar Da'an?
A humble Timorese stew of corn, mung beans, and pumpkin simmered soft in a light, comforting pot.
Where does Batar Da'an come from?
Batar Da'an is a Timorese dish from Dili, Timor-Leste.
Can Batar Da'an be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Batar Da'an recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Batar Da'an safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Batar Da'an take to make?
About 90 minutes total (15 minutes prep, 75 minutes cooking), serving 6.
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