Timorese food · Main dish
Batar da'an
Corn, mung beans and pumpkin stewed together: Timor-Leste's everyday comfort food.
Last verified: Checked against a Timorese cookbook and published food sources
By David
Quick answer · as of October 2026
Batar da'an is a stew of corn, mung beans and pumpkin, cooked down with garlic and onion and sometimes coconut milk. It is often called Timor-Leste's unofficial national dish. It is vegetarian, cheap and filling, and is usually eaten with rice and a spoon of chilli relish.
- Type
- Main dish
- Origin
- Timorese
- Vegetarian
- Vegetarian
- Also called
- batar daan
On this page
What is Batar da'an?
Batar da'an brings together three crops that grow in almost every Timorese garden: maize (batar), mung beans and pumpkin. Koryo Tours calls it "the unofficial Timor-Leste national dish", and Wikipedia lists it as one of the most popular dishes in the country.
It is simple home cooking rather than restaurant food, and for a long time it was looked down on. The founder of the Timor-Leste Food Lab, which runs Agora Food Studio in Dili, has said batar da'an was often dismissed as "poor people's food", and the restaurant puts it on the menu to change that.
How it is made
- Dried or fresh corn kernels and mung beans are boiled until soft.
- Pumpkin is added and everything simmers until the pumpkin breaks down and thickens the stew.
- It is seasoned with garlic and onion; some cooks add coconut milk.
- It is served with rice and often a fresh relish (budu) or chilli (ai-manas).
Where to try it
Batar da'an is mostly cooked at home, so the easiest places to try it as a visitor are restaurants that focus on Timorese food, such as Agora Food Studio in Dili, and homestays in the highlands and on Atauro, where hosts cook local meals.
Restaurant
Agora Food Studio
Comoro, near Timor Plaza, Dili
Timorese · International
The restaurant of the Timor-Leste Food Lab, a social enterprise that cooks with Timorese ingredients and trains young local chefs. Plant-forward, seasonal and one of the best places to taste modern Timorese food.
- Social enterprise
- Vegetarian-friendly
- Serves alcohol
Mon–Thu 07:30–21:00; Fri–Sat 08:00–22:00; Sun 16:00–21:00
See all restaurants and cafés in Timor-Leste.
Tips
- It is one of the few traditional dishes that is naturally vegetarian, so it is a good order for meat-free travellers.
- If you stay in a homestay, ask your host if they cook it: it is a family dish.
More Timorese dishes
Relish
Budu (fresh relish)
Also: budu matak
A sharp, fresh relish of tomato, lime, onion and herbs, served with fish, rice and batar da'an.
Vegetarian versions exist
Relish
Ai-manas (chilli pickle)
Also: aimanas, aimanas budu, ai manas
Crushed chilli with salt, garlic and lime or bilimbi: the table sauce served with almost everything.
Vegetarian
Side
Katupa
Also: ketupat
Rice cooked with coconut and turmeric inside small woven palm-leaf parcels.
Vegetarian
Frequently asked questions
Is batar da'an vegetarian?
Yes. The basic dish is corn, mung beans and pumpkin with garlic and onion. Some versions add coconut milk, which keeps it vegan.
What does batar da'an mean?
Batar is the Tetum word for corn (maize), and the dish is named after it.
Sources
Official sites, operators and references we checked for this page.
Related guides
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Timorese Food: Dishes to Try in Timor-Leste
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