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Palusami
Apia, Samoa
The Samoan answer to a slow-cooked Sunday roast: bundles of young taro leaves layered with thick coconut cream and sea salt (sometimes a knob of corned beef or chopped onion), wrapped tightly in breadfruit leaves and steamed for hours inside an umu, an above-ground earth oven of hot volcanic stones. The taro leaves soften into a silky, near-spinach texture while the coconut cream curdles into a rich, custard-like sauce that pools at the bottom of every parcel. Raw taro leaves are toxic, but the long, gentle steam destroys the oxalic acid crystals while concentrating their iron-rich flavor. Palusami anchors every to'ona'i (Sunday family meal) and faalavelave (ceremonial gathering) in Samoa, and unwrapping each leaf parcel at the table is a small ritual in itself.
Ingredients
- 30 leavesyoung taro leaves (or substitute spinach)
- 400 mlthick coconut cream
- 1 mediumyellow onion (finely diced)
- 200 gcorned beef (optional, diced)
- 1 tspsea salt
- 8 large leavesbreadfruit or banana leaves (for wrapping)
Directions
- 1
Trim the thick stems and central ribs from the taro leaves so they fold without cracking.
- 2
Stack 3 to 4 leaves overlapping into a cup shape in your palm, like flower petals.
- 3
Spoon 2 tablespoons of coconut cream into the center of each cup; season with a pinch of salt, a little onion, and corned beef if using.
- 4
Fold the leaf edges up and over the filling to seal each parcel; press gently to compact.
- 5
Wrap each parcel in one or two breadfruit or banana leaves and tie with kitchen twine.
- 6
Steam in a covered pot over simmering water, or in a 160C oven on a tray with a shallow layer of water.
- 7
Cook for 2 to 2.5 hours, until the taro leaves are silky-soft and the coconut cream has thickened into a custard.
- 8
Unwrap at the table and eat with the rich coconut cream that has pooled inside each parcel.