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Dinanche

Donne' dinanche · Denanche · Donne' dinanche · Chamorro hot pepper paste

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Dinanche, or donne' dinanche, is a Chamorro hot pepper paste of crushed chillies that Guam cooks use on its own or stir into fina'denne'. Its versions range from pepper alone to ones with eggplant, miso or coconut milk.

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Coarse red Chamorro dinanche pepper paste in a shallow ceramic bowl.

A paste of crushed chillies

Dinanche is a Chamorro hot pepper paste. Its base is crushed chillies, and it can be eaten on its own or stirred into other dishes. Guam sources describe it as a condiment used directly or in fina'denne', the soy and vinegar dipping sauce. Its heat is the point of it: a spoonful adds sharpness and fire to a plate, and it is kept ready as a seasoning.

The name is spelled several ways. Dinanche, donne' dinanche and denanche all appear in the sources, and the first word, donne', is the Chamorro word for the chilli pepper itself. The paste is a relative of the fina'denne' family, but it is a separate preparation, and the sources treat it as its own item.

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A family of recipes

The simplest version is peppers only. A no-cook version blends about four ounces of red hot peppers or bird's eye chillies with two cloves of garlic, a quarter cup of mild miso, a third of a cup of apple cider vinegar, salt and lemon powder, then refrigerates the paste for at least an hour. Its yield is a little over eight ounces.

The Guam Stripes article describes the wider family: a paste can be made with only peppers, or with added onion, garlic, coconut milk, vegetables, crab paste or lemon juice. Paula Q's version is creamy, with coconut milk, and its vegetables are barbecued or smoked for the best flavour. The Annie's Chamorro Kitchen miso version is cooked, using a large Japanese purple eggplant, onion, garlic, coconut oil, green beans, miso and the pepper paste.

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The cooked miso version

The cooked version starts by sautéing one large eggplant, or two medium, diced, with a small finely diced onion and four tablespoons of chopped garlic in four tablespoons of coconut oil over medium-high heat, for five to seven minutes, until the onion is clear and the eggplant soft. Thin green beans follow for about five minutes, with another spoon of oil if the pan is dry. A cup and a half of Japanese miso goes in, and the mixture is mashed lightly.

The pepper paste, three tablespoons of donne' dinanche, goes in last, with the heat turned off. The source advises good ventilation at that point, because chilli fumes rise from a hot pan. A teaspoon of lemon powder can be added to taste. The cooked version is a dish in its own right, and it shows that dinanche is an ingredient in the cooking as well as a condiment.

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Fresh peppers, salted peppers and calamansi

Guampedia notes that salted, preserved crushed red peppers can replace fresh peppers in fina'denne', and that they are sold in many local grocery stores. That is the one place in the sources where the commercial version appears, and the sources do not describe how it is salted, preserved or stored. A reader who uses it should follow the product's own label rather than a home method.

Lemon and calamansi appear as acid in several versions. The Paula Q page notes that calamansi juice can replace lemon juice, and that because it is less tart the cook should start with half the amount. The acid is a flavour choice in these versions, and no source presents it as a preservative control.

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Storage and what the sources leave open

The sources give no storage time for dinanche. The no-cook paste is refrigerated in an airtight container, and the cooked version with coconut milk, eggplant and garlic should also be kept cold. Smell and taste are not reliable checks for a stored paste, and garlic kept in oil at room temperature needs a cold chain for the reasons set out in the safety section.

The processes for the commercial salted pepper and for the Tinian ready-made version are not in these sources. Their dates and their makers are not given. A reader interested in dinanche's history should look for dated Chamorro food writing before treating any date as settled.

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History

Dinanche is a Chamorro hot pepper paste recorded in Guam sources and recipe pages. The fresh red peppers in it were introduced to the islands by the Spanish, according to Guampedia's account of the wider sauce family. The sources do not date the paste itself.

Ingredients

Yield 8 ounces · Scaling: source batch only

Hot chilli peppers (donne')Crushed or blended to a paste; Bird's eye chillies are named
113 g4 oz as recorded
Quantity from a no-cook version; other versions give cups of peppers
Garlic (optional)
2 cloves
From a no-cook version
Apple cider vinegar (optional)
78 mL0.33 cup as recorded
From a no-cook version; others use sea salt instead
Mild miso (optional)
59 mL¼ cup as recorded
From a no-cook version
Japanese eggplant (optional)Diced and sautéed
1 large
One large or two medium; used in the miso version
Coconut milk (optional)
Amount not stated
Used in the creamy, pepper-with-vegetables version

Method

Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Hot chilli fumes when cooking

One source advises good ventilation when the pepper paste is added to the hot pan.

Hazard source
Storage of a moist pepper paste with garlic or coconut milk

A paste of fresh peppers, garlic or coconut milk is moist and can spoil if held warm. The sources give no tested storage time.

Hazard source

Keep the paste refrigerated in a clean, airtight container

Control source

No source gives a storage life for dinanche.

Garlic kept in oil at room temperature carries a recognised botulism risk. This is general food-safety guidance and is not stated in the sources.

Smell and taste are not reliable checks of stored paste.

  1. Crush or blend the fresh hot peppers to a paste. Add a little coconut oil, lemon juice or water only if the blender needs help.
  2. For the no-cook version, add the garlic, miso or vinegar, salt and lemon powder, process to a paste, and refrigerate in a jar for at least an hour before serving.
  3. For the cooked miso version, sauté diced eggplant, onion and garlic in coconut oil over medium-high heat until soft. Add sliced green beans, cook briefly, then stir in miso and the pepper paste and turn off the heat.
  4. Season to taste and keep the paste in a clean, airtight container in the refrigerator.

Conditions

Yield8 ounces
Active time15 min

Places

Guam

Traditional use · Region evidence

A Chamorro condiment of Guam; a ready-made Tinian version is also mentioned, and the sources do not give a single place of making.

See Guamon the mapLocation source 1 → · Location source 2 →

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