Keshi yena is a typical Aruban dish that you must eat while visiting the island. Consider a huge round cheese ball filled with spicy pork, normally chicken. Because the Dutch influenced this dish, it is frequently topped with Gouda cheese. “Keshi” stands for “cheese.” Each restaurant appears to have its unique version of this dish. This simple Keshi yena recipe, a classic Dutch Caribbean meal made with melted Edam cheese and seasoned ground beef or chicken, will make you drool.
Popular in Cuba, Latin America, Mexico, and Spain, this classic hash is prepared with either pork, ground beef, or chicken. The salty-sweet mix of olives, capers, and raisins gives picadillo its characteristic layers of taste. Keshi Yena recipes differ from country to country, but the salty-sweet mix of olives, capers, and raisins gives picadillo its signature layers of flavor.
Keshi Yena represents the culinary influences of Aruba’s varied population, a fascinating combination derived from the Caribbean, South America, Africa, India, Asia, the Netherlands, and other European nations with its spicy sweetness and melted cheese.
Keshi Yena
A similar filled cheese dish may be found all across Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean, a holdover from the days when Edam was the most popular cheese in the world.
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 1 hour hr
Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine Aruban, Caribbean
Servings 4 people
Calories 385 kcal
1 pound chicken white and dark meat or ground beef
1 small onion chopped
1 green pepper chopped
1 clove garlic chopped
1 Tablespoon raisins
1/4 cup green pitted olives coarsely chopped
1 Tablespoon capers
1/2 Madame Janette pepper or Scotch Bonnet
1 Roma tomato seeded and chopped
1 Tablespoon ketchup
2 Tablespoon tomato paste
2 Tablespoon sweet relish
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon parsley chopped
1 tsp salt and pepper to taste
1/2 pound Edam cheese shredded
If using chicken, prepare it in advance by boiling it in water with salt, water, onion, and parsley that will be removed later, letting it cool, then removing the bones and shredding it. You may alternatively bake the chicken pieces (sprinkled with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning) for 45 minutes in a 350 oven, then cool, remove the bones, and shred the meat.
In a heavy frying pan, brown the shredded chicken or ground beef (or a mix of both).
Except for the Edam cheese and parsley, combine the remaining ingredients.
2/3 of the Edam cheese should be thinly sliced (optional). If you're not lining the casseroles, leave it out.
Add the remaining 1/3 of the Edam cheese to the meat and spice combination and grate it.
Make sure the pieces of Edam cheese overlap in the separate serving plates (optional)
Fill the plates halfway with the Edam, meat, and spice mixture, then sprinkle with grated Edam.
Bake for 45 minutes, then top with parsley and serve with toasted French bread slices or cornbread pieces.
Keyword Aruban kesi yena, aruban kesi yena recipe, caribbean kesi yena, kesi yena, kesi yena appetizer
