Mayi Moulen Ak Pwa Nwa

Haitian Mayi Moulen Ak Pwa Nwa is one of the creamiest, dreamiest mais (cornmeal) you can make in under 30 minutes.

Made from coarse cornmeal and cooked to perfection, they’re finished with a generous heap of black beans and our homemade epis. 

Similar to our mais moulin and our mais moulen ak zepina meal, this mayi moulen ak pwa nwa (black beans) is as equally comforting, satisfying, and is perfect for a quick weeknight meal thanks to our Instant Pot Black Beans. 

Dry Black Beans vs. Canned Black Beans

When making your mayi moulen ak pwa nwa (cornmeal with black beans), the type of beans used does matter. Here are a few things to consider: 

Dry beans cost less per serving than canned beans. 

Canned beans are much more convenient than dry beans. It can take up to 4 hours to cook dry beans over the stove, and about 30 to 40 minutes in the Instant Pot. 

Dry beans has less sodium; whereas canned beans (depending on the brand and type of beans) may have up to 280 milligrams of sodium. 

With dry beans, you can make up to 3 meals (depending on family size). You are much more limited with canned beans. 

Are dried black beans better than canned?

In essence, yes. 1 pack of black beans can serve up to 10. Black beans are budget friendly.

Dry beans provide more opportunity to create more meals. 

We often use canned beans to create our Cowboy Caviar. 

Are dried beans healthier than canned beans?

If you’d like to keep your meals on the healthy side, we recommend dried beans as they are slightly healthier than canned beans.

Canned beans tend to be higher in sodium and cholesterol. 

How do I substitute dried black beans for canned?

If you do not have the type to cook the dry beans, that’s perfectly fine. You can substitute the dry beans for canned beans. 

In this recipe we used 1 cup of dried beans. To substitute the dried beans for canned beans, we recommend you use two 15-ounce cans of canned beans to equal to the amount of 2 cups cooked dried beans.  

Difference Between Grits and Cornmeal

In a nutshell, grits and corn are the same. Grits are ground corn. Grits got its name from the term “grist,” meaning grain for milling.

Just like grits is ground corn, cornmeal is also ground corn. However, there are many versions of cornmeal. The finer cornmeal is used for porridges or polenta, and the coarse cornmeal is often used to recipes like this mayi moulen ak pwa nwa. 

Types Of Corn

Both grits and cornmeal are ground from the type of corn with low sugar and has a starchy center. This type of corn is knowns as dent corn. 

When we refer to polenta, the type of corn that makes polenta is known as the Flint corn. Grits and polenta are almost commonly substitutable. 

Ingredients

To make this mayi moulen recipe, you’ll need a handful of ingredients. The full ingredient with the exact measurement is listed below. However, for now here’s what you’ll need. 

• Coarse Cornmeal
• Dried Black Beans
• Oil
• Yellow Onion (not sweet); roughly chopped
• Ground Black Pepper
• Epis
• Salt; we used Kosher salt
• 8 cups of water

How To Make Haitian Mayi (Cornmeal)

Wash the beans. In the instant pot, add the dry beans, then 8 cups of water. 

Cook for 30 minutes. It will take the instant pot about 8-10 minutes to come to temperature. 

When the timer goes off, quick release. Strain the beans and reserve the water. Do not throw the water away!

Wash the cornmeal in a sieve until the water runs clear. Set aside. 

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the oil, and onions, half of the epis about (¼ cup). Stir and cook for 30 seconds. Add the beans. Stir lightly. 

Then add the cornmeal, the rest of the Epis and salt. Give it a quick stir.

Then add the liquid used to cook the beans. Stir from the bottom up to avoid meal sticking to the bottom. 

Cover and reduce the heat to medium low. Stir every 5-7 minutes from the bottom up to avoid sticking. After 20 minutes. Let stir then cover, let simmer for 5 minutes. 

Serve warm and enjoy!

Cooking Tips

• Cornmeal just like grits will harden the longer it sits. 
• If your mayi moulen starts to harden, add ½ cup water (at a time) until it is loosened. 
• You do not want the meal to be too runny and you don’t want it to be too

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