Asia → Timor-Leste → Dili
🍳 BREAKFAST
Jagung Bose
The Timorese corn staple: dried corn and red beans slow-cooked until creamy in coconut milk, humble everyday nourishment.
Timorese · easy · serves 4
prep 15 min · cook 75 min
~486 cal · 14g protein · 47g carbs · 30g fat · 11g fiber · 5g sugars · 25g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
↓ Jump to Recipe
AI-generated illustration
Jagung bose is the true staple of the Timorese table, a slow-cooked pot of dried corn and red beans simmered soft in . Corn, cheaper and more plentiful than rice across much of Timor-Leste, is the heart of the dish, and villagers will tell you it is the food you are served almost anywhere in the countryside.
The dried corn is cooked long and patiently until the hard kernels swell and soften, red beans are cooked down alongside, and is stirred through to enrich the whole into a thick, creamy, mildly sweet porridge. It needs little more than a good pinch of salt; the corn and coconut carry it.
Filling, cheap, and made from staples grown a few steps from the kitchen, jagung bose is comfort and sustenance at once, a dish that appears at Christmas and celebrations as readily as on an ordinary morning. Warm and plain, it is about as everyday as food gets in Timor-Leste.
Saved recipes and passport stamps are kept on this device. Sign in to keep them across your devices and leave reviews.
Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and gluten-, dairy-, egg- 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 4
- 2 cups dried corn kernels or , soaked overnight
- 1 cup red kidney beans, soaked
- 2 cups
- to taste salt
Instructions
- 1Simmer the drained corn in plenty of fresh water until the kernels begin to soften, about 45 minutes.✎ Chef’s noteDried corn (or hominy) is stubborn and needs long, patient cooking; do not rush it or the porridge will stay chalky.
- 2Add the drained red beans and continue simmering until both corn and beans are fully tender, about 30 minutes more, topping up the water as needed.
- 3Pour in the coconut milk and simmer gently, stirring, until thick and creamy.
- 4Season with salt and serve warm in bowls.
Dili tradition.
Ratings & reviews
Cooked it? Rate this dish:
No account needed. Sign in to leave a full review with a comment.
Cooked it?
Kept on this device, no account needed. Sign in to leave a review and keep your passport across your devices.
No reviews yet, be the first to cook it.
🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Dili. The beans in batar daan are mung beans, and the corn is simmered until the whole thing thickens on its own without anything added to it. It comes out beside ikan sabuko, Spanish mackerel marinated in tamarind with basil and capsicum, and budu, a sharp raw sauce of tomato, mint, lime and onion.
🗺️
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
Batar Da'anA humble Timorese stew of corn, mung beans, and pumpkin simmered soft in a light, comforting pot.
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
Storing it: Thickens as it sits. Reheat with extra water or milk to loosen, and keep 2 to 3 days refrigerated.
Make it a Timor-Leste meal
Kafé TimorDrink
Babilak Ai-luka (Cassava and Coconut Balls)Dessert
Similar dishes from around the world
Ibitoke n'IbiharageBurundi
Bubur SumsumIndonesia
Banana in Coconut CreamNauru
EnfrijoladasMexico
Ladob BanannSeychelles
UmncushuEswatini
Cuisine
Diet
Vegetarian Recipes from Around the World
Vegan Recipes from Around the World
Gluten-Free Recipes from Around the World
Dairy-Free Recipes from Around the World
Egg-Free Recipes from Around the World
Pork-Free Recipes from Around the World
Vegan Breakfasts from Around the World
Vegetarian Breakfasts from Around the World
Gluten-Free Breakfasts from Around the World
Dairy-Free Breakfasts from Around the World
Egg-Free Breakfasts from Around the World
Frequently asked questions
What is Jagung Bose?
The Timorese corn staple: dried corn and red beans slow-cooked until creamy in coconut milk, humble everyday nourishment.
Where does Jagung Bose come from?
Jagung Bose is a Timorese dish from Dili, Timor-Leste.
Can Jagung Bose be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Jagung Bose recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Jagung Bose 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 still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), 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 Jagung Bose take to make?
About 90 minutes total (15 minutes prep, 75 minutes cooking), serving 4.
Get the Sunday Spin
One dish from somewhere in the world, in your inbox every Sunday. No spam, just dinner inspiration you can cook that day.