This Vegetable Medley is also known as Batar Da’an in East Timor. It is a veggie-packed side dish filled with corn, onions, butternut squash, and beans/peas. You can eat it as a side or even as breakfast!
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Recipe Origins
I am cooking one meal from each country in the world, and this week I’m experimenting with East Timor!
Batar Da’an or this Vegetable Medley Recipe is one very popular recipe to exist in the country. It is traditionally made with mung beans, squash and corn, and is very often served as a side dish to accompany a main source of protein, like fish.
I used some substitutions in this recipe, though you can find notes on how to make the recipe using typical ingredients/cooking methods from East Timor below.
Why Make this Recipe
- “Travel” to East Timor: East Timor has been on my travel bucket list for quite some time, but unfortunately I haven’t made it there quite yet. If you want to visit East Timor but don’t have the means or time to do so, this Batar Da’an will transport you there in an instant!
- Healthy and Flavorful: This recipe is made with so many delicious and fresh tasting vegetables! Not only do I love it served as a side, but I also enjoy mixing it with rice, or even topping it with an egg!
Ingredients in this Recipe
- Pigeon Peas: I had a hard time finding mung beans (the traditional ingredient in this recipe), but I did have a leftover can of Pigeon Peas from when I made Pigeon Peas and Rice from the Bahamas. For this reason, I used pigeon peas in this recipe. If you would like to use the traditional ingredients you can use mung beans. I have found them online for you here.
- Corn: I used frozen corn because (again) I had some leftover from making my Creamed Corn in the Instant Pot. You can use frozen corn if you’d like, but if you’ve recently cooked fresh corn on the cob, you can cut off the kernels and use that as well.
- Butternut Squash: Using butternut squash here certainly made the dish for me. If you’d like to use another type of squash, feel free to do so!
How to Make this Recipe
Step 1: Cook the Butternut Squash
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Peel the skin off of the butternut squash, then use a knife to cut it into ½” cubes.
Drizzle the cubes with 1 tbsp olive oil, kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste.
Cook the butternut squash for about 30 minutes, mixing occasionally, until cooked through.
Step 2: Cook Vegetable Medley on the Stove
Place a large pan on the stove over medium-high heat. Add another drizzle of olive oil to the pan, then add the onion and garlic. Saute until the onions are cooked and turn translucent.
Add the peas or mung beans, corn, and cooked butternut squash. Season with salt and pepper, add optional spices.
Continue stirring until everything is warmed through. Serve with rice and enjoy!
Note
Research online indicates that the traditional way to cook this dish is to boil the mung beans, corn, and squash together in a bit of water.
In an effort to make the recipe faster and more flavorful, I have edited the cooking method slightly, to include using precooked vegetables that combine over heat.
Expert Tips
- I added onion powder, garlic powder, and coriander to add some flavor to the vegetable blend. In many of the recipes for Batar Da’an that I’ve found online, spices are not added to the vegetables. If you’d like to remove the spices for the sake of authenticity, you are free to do so! This is why they have been labeled as “optional”.
- I have sometimes bought pre-cubed butternut squash when making this recipe as it saves so much time not having to peel and cube a large butternut squash.
Recipe FAQs
What is a Vegetable Medley?
A vegetable medley is a combination of any vegetables that combine well together. In this case, the vegetable medley is made with late summer-early fall veggies such as corn and butternut squash.
We also used pigeon peas or mung beans in this recipe, depending on your preference.
How Should I Serve this Recipe?
You can serve this dish however you’d like, but my suggested method would be as a side to a delicious meat main dish. These frog legs could be a good option.
Another great choice is to fry up an egg and then lay it on top of your Batar Da’an Vegetable Medley. The yolk cracks and mixes with the veggies and corn underneath and creates a filling and delightful breakfast! This is very similar to the Gallo Pinto recipe I have on my blog.
If you liked this Vegetable Medley recipe on my site, make sure to check out the other recipes that I’ve picked out just for you:
- Vegetable Stuffed Mashed Potatoes
- Machboos from Bahrain
- Mangal Salad (Roasted Vegetable Salad from Azerbaijan)
- Creamed Corn in the Instant Pot
Vegetable Medley (Batar Da’an)
Ingredients
- ½ Butternut squash, cubed and roasted
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- ½ Onion, chopped
- 1 tsp Garlic
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 1 ½ cups cooked Mung beans , can sub pigeon peas
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ tsp onion powder, optional
- ½ tsp garlic powder, optional
- ½ tsp ground coriander, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Peel the skin off of the butternut squash, then use a knife to cut it into ½” cubes.
- Drizzle the cubes with 1 tbsp olive oil, kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste.
- Cook the butternut squash for about 30 minutes, mixing occasionally, until cooked through.
- Place a large pan on the stove over medium-high heat. Add another drizzle of olive oil to the pan, then add the onion and garlic. Saute until the onions are cooked and turn translucent.
- Add the peas or mung beans, corn, and cooked butternut squash. Season with salt and pepper, add optional spices.
- Continue stirring until everything is warmed through. Serve with rice and enjoy!
Notes
- Pigeon Peas: I had a hard time finding mung beans (the traditional ingredient in this recipe), but I did have a leftover can of Pigeon Peas from when I made Pigeon Peas and Rice from the Bahamas. For this reason, I used pigeon peas in this recipe. If you would like to use the traditional ingredients you can use mung beans. I have found them online for you here.
- Corn: I used frozen corn because (again) I had some leftover from making my Creamed Corn in the Instant Pot. You can use frozen corn if you’d like, but if you’ve recently cooked fresh corn on the cob, you can cut off the kernels and use that as well.
- Butternut Squash: Using butternut squash here certainly made the dish for me. If you’d like to use another type of squash, feel free to do so!
- I added onion powder, garlic powder, and coriander to add some flavor to the vegetable blend. In many of the recipes for Batar Da’an that I’ve found online, spices are not added to the vegetables. If you’d like to remove the spices for the sake of authenticity, you are free to do so! This is why they have been labeled as “optional”.
- I have sometimes bought pre-cubed butternut squash when making this recipe as it saves so much time not having to peel and cube a large butternut squash.
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