Kalimonton

About This Recipe

Kalimonton are seasoned meat patties, sometimes fried and sometimes baked, filled with spiced ground meat. They're popular street food and party appetizers on Bonaire. This kalimonton is shaped by the home cooks who refined it across generations, balancing tradition with everyday practicality. Small bites with outsized payoff: crisp edges, soft centers, that addictive savory pull. Home cooks return to it because the technique is forgiving once the order of operations clicks: build aromatics first, season in layers, and let time do the heavy lifting. The result lands somewhere between everyday and special — humble enough for a weeknight, generous enough for company.

Ingredients

Serves 12

• 1 lbground beef
• 1 mediumonion, finely chopped
• 2 clovesgarlic, minced
• 0.5 cupflour
• 1egg
• 0.5 tspcumin

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook filling

   Sauté onion and garlic. Add ground beef and cumin, cook until browned. Cool completely.

2. 2

   Make dough

   Mix flour, egg, salt, pepper, and water to form a soft dough. Divide into 12 portions.

3. 3

   Stuff patties

   Flatten each dough portion, add meat filling, fold and seal edges tightly.

4. 4

   Cook

   Fry in oil at 350°F for 4-5 minutes per side until golden, or bake at 375°F for 20 minutes.

5. 5

   Serve

   Cool slightly before serving with hot sauce.

Variations

• •

  Use chicken instead of beef

• •

  Add peppers and olives to filling

• •

  Make vegetarian version with beans

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 3 days; freeze up to 1 month

Frequently Asked Questions