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Jamaican cornmeal pudding
Cornmeal pudding: baked coconut-milk cornmeal pudding with a custardy top
Jamaican cornmeal pudding is the cousin of sweet potato pudding, cheaper and quicker to make, and a fixture at Sunday dinner and church harvest suppers from Kingston to the hills of Manchester. Cornmeal is first cooked on the stove in coconut milk with sugar and nutmeg, then baked until firm, sliceable and caramel-edged, with a thin, soft layer on top. The classic mistake is pouring raw cornmeal straight into hot liquid, which makes lumps; whisk it into cold liquid first. Chef's tip: pour a little extra coconut milk over halfway through baking to get that custardy "hallelujah" top.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the pudding
- 9 oz fine cornmeal
- 3 ¼ cups coconut milk
- 1 cup whole milk
- 6 ½ oz dark brown sugar
- 2 ⅛ oz raisins
- 1 oz butterplus a little for the tin
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
For the soft top
- ½ cup coconut milk
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan) and butter a 23 cm square tin with a little of ⅛ oz butter.
Step 2: Whisk 9 oz fine cornmeal into the cold 3 ¼ cups coconut milk and 1 cup whole milk in a large pan until smooth. Add 6 ½ oz dark brown sugar, 1 tsp ground nutmeg, 1 tsp ground cinnamon and ½ tsp salt.
Step 3: Cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens to a heavy, smooth porridge that holds a trail.
8 minStep 4: Off the heat, stir in 2 ⅛ oz raisins, 2 tsp vanilla extract and the rest of 1 oz butter. Scrape into the tin and smooth the top.
Step 5: Bake for 30 minutes, then pour ½ cup coconut milk over the surface and bake 30–40 minutes more, until the edges are browned, the body is firm and the top is just set but soft.
65 minStep 6: Cool for at least 1 hour before slicing into squares. Keeps for 3 days in the fridge.
60 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does jamaican cornmeal pudding take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 70 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of coconut milk?
- Single cream, same amount (not dairy free).
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
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