A recipe for Ducana (Antiguan Boiled Sweet Potato)! Grated sweet potatoes are mixed together with coconut, sugar, raisins (optional), spices, and flour, folded in banana leaves or foil, and boiled until firm.
Ducana is a type of boiled sweet potato mixture from the Caribbean island of Antigua. Variations are also popular in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and surrounding islands. Grated sweet potatoes are mixed together with grated coconut, sugar, raisins (optional), spices, and flour. The mixture is folded in banana leaves or foil and boiled until firm.
For a full meal, serve this sweet dish with saltfish (here is a recipe for Saltfish Buljolde) or other stewed fish and chop-up (spinach, eggplant, and okra or other vegetables). This meal is particularly popular during the Easter season on Good Friday.
Leftover Ducana can be sliced and pan-fried for a nice crispy texture on the outside.
I grated the sweet potatoes using a food processor. This still made the pieces a little too long for my liking, so next time I will switch the blades to pulse them for a more fine and uniform mixture. You can also manually grate the peeled sweet potatoes or use a blender with some water added.
I used fresh, grated coconut located in the freezer section of my local grocery store. Finely grated carrots may also be added.
If the dough is too dry, mix in just enough water to form a cohesive dough (I needed about 1/4 cup). The exact amount will depend on the water content of your sweet potatoes and coconut.
I wrapped the dumplings in banana leaves, then aluminum foil for an added layer of protection. You can use one or the other. If using only banana leaves, secure them with twine before adding to the boiling water. Here is a video showing how to make the ducana and wrap them. I found the banana leaves in the frozen section of the International market specializing in Latin American/Asian ingredients. Rinse the leaves under hot water or lightly toast over an open flame to help make them pliable.
Boil the Ducana from 30-45 minutes based on personal preference. 30 minutes will keep them a bit softer. 45 will make them firm enough to slice and fry if desired.
I halved the original recipe for our family. The ingredients can easily be doubled.
Looking for more recipes with sweet potatoes?
Try my
- Vanilla Whipped Sweet Potatoes
- Goguma Mattang (Korean Caramelized Sweet Potatoes)
- Sweet Potato Waffles
Ducana (Antiguan Boiled Sweet Potato) Recipe
Adapted from Ruby Deubry
Ducana (Antiguan Boiled Sweet Potato)
Ingredients
- 1 cup finely grated sweet potato
- 3/4 cup fresh grated coconut
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 cup raisins optional
- 1- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup water
- Banana leaves and kitchen twine/foil for wrapping
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a boil.
- In a large bowl, combine the grated sweet potato and coconut. Mix in the sugar, butter, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, and raisins.
- Mix in just enough flour to form a cohesive dough. If it is too dry, add about 1/4 cup water.
- Cut the banana leaves into squares, 6-10 inches depending on how large you want your Ducana. Rinse the banana leaves under hot water or heat lightly over an open flame until they are pliable.
- Transfer some of the dough into the center of a banana square and form into a rectangle/cylinder. Fold the banana over the dough to cover on all sides, then wrap with the twine to secure or wrap with foil. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Reduce the boiling water to medium-high for a gentle boil. Add the packets of dough and cook to desired doneness, 30 minutes for slightly soft and 45 minutes for more firm. Remove from the pot and allow to cool for 10 minutes before unwrapping.
Janette@CulinaryGinger
What lovely treats and perfectly seasonal.
Molly Kumar
This looks so easy to make and I’m bookmarking to try soon.
Julie | Bunsen Burner Bakery
I’ve never heard of these before, but they look so good! That sweet potato/coconut/cinnamon combination sounds amazing.
Tracy | Baking Mischief
This looks delish! I love the idea of making sweet potato dumplings, especially with the coconut flavor in there.
lk529
I had no idea you could find coconut in the freezer section!
Jamila
My family is from Antigua, and I think you have done an amazing job describing one of the Island favorite dish and your recipe was dead on. Good job!!!!.
Tara
Thank you so much Jamila!
Jason
I never heard of ducana being served cold. Also, should be noted that raisins are optional and most Antiguans do not use raisins. Otherwise, good job in sharing a piece of Antiguan culture to the world.
Tara
Thanks Jason! This is good to know since I am generally not a fan of raisins 🙂
Ivan
“…most Antiguans do not use raisins…” not sure how you measure this, because I would say the opposite is true.
Suffice to say this is a topic of heated (usually friendly) debate in Antigua.
Reah
My mom and I love raisins in our ducana, but in the cook book that was done back home in Antigua called Cooking Magic, raisins aren’t mentioned. So I’d guess that the original recipe is without raisins. 🙁
Revac
While I loved your article and explanation of our dish. I must say that it’s a misconception that Ducana is a Sweet Potato Dumpling.
They are 2 different things. I love Ducana, I love Sweet Potato Dumpling, and I especially love Sweet Potato Coconut Dumpling. Please don’t call them the same because they are two totally different dishes.
Otherwise, great recipe. Also, some people add grated carrots in it too. Raisins as well, but like someone mentioned, that is very much debated. (I’m a raisin lover so it’s definitely in mine.) Less sugar is needed when you add raisins.
Tara
Hi Revac! Thanks so much for letting me know. I have removed the word dumpling.
Hewitt
Great job with the recipe. “Original and recipe” hold little relevance for Antiguans. 😄 We are creative and innovative. If there are raisins around the house we’ll add them if not we’ll do without. I’ve had them warm, cool and room temperature. They are usually preferred warm but almost impossible to serve hot. Everything is hotly debated in Antigua because we love to debate. 😊 Try the recipe then get creative with it.
Mary Simon Jeffries
I am an Antiguan and have made something like this when I was younger, the ingredients are similar to ducana except I baked it like a pudding.
RiseB
This is an amazing recipe I grew up eating. However, I would like to mention that some places in the Carribean, such as the Virgin Islands, and even in Africa, we use the Red/Purplish Skinned Potato which is white inside but it is sweet. It makes for an even better Ducana Dumpling.