Haitian Pain Patate: Sweet Potato and Coconut Pudding with Fresh Ginger

Preheat the oven to 350F and generously butter a 9-inch square baking dish or a shallow 2-quart casserole.

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 2 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and coarsely grated
• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• 1 can (13.5 oz) full-fat coconut milk
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the dish
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/4 tsp fine salt
• 2 tbsp dark rum (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and generously butter a 9-inch square baking dish or a shallow 2-quart casserole.
2. Squeeze the grated sweet potato firmly in a clean kitchen towel over the sink to wring out excess liquid. This is what keeps the finished pudding dense rather than watery.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, evaporated milk, brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla and rum if using, until the sugar has dissolved.
4. Stir in the grated ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, then fold in the mashed banana until evenly combined.
5. Add the squeezed sweet potato and the raisins and mix thoroughly. The batter will be thick and rough-textured, closer to a wet stuffing than a cake batter — that is correct.
6. Scrape into the buttered dish and smooth the top with a spatula. Dot the surface with a little extra butter to help it brown.
7. Bake for 75 to 90 minutes, until the top is deeply caramelized and set and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. If the top darkens too fast, tent it loosely with foil for the last 20 minutes.
8. Cool in the dish for at least 45 minutes before cutting. Pain patate firms up considerably as it cools and is genuinely better warm rather than hot.
9. Cut into squares and serve as is, or with a spoonful of coconut cream poured over the top.
10. Pain patate translates literally as sweet potato bread, though it contains no flour at all — the grated tuber and banana do all the binding. It is a fixture of Haitian Sunday tables and holiday gatherings, often baked slowly in a covered pot buried in hot coals rather than an oven. Late-summer sweet potatoes, dug young and still high in moisture, give the best texture, and the ginger cuts the sweetness in a way that keeps you going back for another square.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 380 kcal
• Protein: 5g
• Fat: 16g
• Carbohydrates: 56g
• Fiber: 5g
• Sugar: 31g
• Sodium: 180mg