Majarete is a pudding with disputed origins, with versions from the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. The Cuban and Dominican versions use cooked corn pudding with coconut milk, while the Puerto Rican version uses coconut, milk, and sugar. It can be served as a dessert or breakfast and is popular in Latin American restaurants in the US. Fresh corn is recommended for the recipe, but creamed corn or cornmeal can be used for easier preparation. Goya also sells powdered packages of majarete.
Majarete is a type of pudding. It has been called a traditional Dominican dessert, a traditional Cuban dessert, and a Puerto Rican dessert, so there is definitely some dispute as to which country actually originated this pudding. Also, there are some differences on what majarete contains, and the Puerto Rican version is quite different than the Cuban and Dominican versions.
Cuban and Dominican recipes define majarete as cooked corn pudding, which gets extra flavor from the addition of coconut milk. Traditionally, you’d use grated fresh corn to get the corny taste, although there are recipes made with cornmeal as well. Because cornmeal thickens better, recipes that contain it may be easier to prepare than those that contain fresh corn. Puerto Rican majarete does not contain corn, but is instead a mix of coconut, milk, sometimes rice milk, and sugar. Both versions may contain cinnamon, vanilla and can be served topped with a little cinnamon.
Although it is referred to as a dessert, there are many fans of majarete who enjoy having the pudding for breakfast. Some people on food blogs like to go extra so that there’s some food to eat the next morning. Whether it’s for dessert or a morning meal, this pudding is quite popular and considered great comfort food. If you’re looking for majarete in restaurants across the United States, you’ll likely find it in many authentic Dominican, Cuban, and Puerto Rican establishments.
There are some complaints when the recipe calls for corn, because American corn isn’t as sweet or savory as its Dominican counterpart. If you’re using fresh corn for the recipe, look for sweet white corn. Some recipes advocate the use of creamed corn, which will also provide a sweeter taste. Others find the coconut flavors overwhelming, but that again comes down to preference. Some recipes on the internet are widely commented and one of the main comments is that the majarete will not thicken. A good suggestion to help with the thickening process is to use a cornmeal recipe or add a small amount of cornstarch to the pudding.
Perhaps the easiest way of all to make majarete is to buy it in powdered packages made by the Goya company and easily found in Mexican and Latin American grocery stores. This is very similar to purchasing boxes of Jello pudding, which often only require a small amount of cooking time and the addition of milk. For freshly made versions of the dessert, you’ll need to do some experimenting with recipes to find one you like best.
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