COPPER🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda
Ducana recipe
Deliciously sweet and spiced steamed dumplings.
Ingredients
- 600 g sweet potatoes
- 200 g flour
- 200 ml coconut milk
- 100 g brown sugar
- 1 tsp ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tsp ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 4 banana leaves
How to make Ducana
- Peel 600 g of sweet potatoes and boil in water for about 25 minutes until tender, then drain them.
- Mash the boiled sweet potatoes until smooth and set aside for later use.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the mashed sweet potatoes with 200 g of flour, 200 ml of coconut milk, and 100 g of brown sugar until fully incorporated.
- Add ½ teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the mixture, stirring until smooth and evenly mixed.
- Cut 6 banana leaves into squares, then lay them flat on a surface.
- Gently soften the banana leaves over low heat for a few seconds to make them pliable.
- Spoon about 100 g of the sweet potato mixture onto the center of each banana leaf square and fold into parcels, sealing tightly.
- Arrange the parcels in a steamer and steam for 30-40 minutes until firm to the touch.
- Once cooked, remove the parcels from the steamer and serve warm to enjoy your delicious ducana.
What is Ducana?
Ducana is a traditional dish from Antigua and Barbuda, steamed, and takes about 90 minutes from start to finish. It is built around sweet potatoes, flour and coconut milk. The recipe below uses 8 ingredients and is written out step by step.
How long does Ducana take?
At 90 minutes it is slower than 62% of the 588 dishes in Copper's atlas. Copper's atlas has 2 dishes built on sweet potatoes. The method runs to 9 steps, the longest being 30 minutes.
Any tips for making Ducana?
Ensure the banana leaves are well folded to keep the steam in the parcels.
Copper documents Antigua and Barbuda alongside 195 other countries. Throw a dart at the world map and let it decide what you cook tonight.