Papua New Guinea Recipes

Kaukau (Papua New Guinean Sweet Potato)

Ingredients
2 sweet potatoes, washed and dried
3 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
½ cup coconut milk
1 small shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Stage 1 - Pre-Cook the Sweet Potato
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Rinse your sweet potatoes thoroughly, then wrap in tinfoil
3. Place your tinfoiled sweet potatoes into the oven and bake for 30 minutes. You'll want to turn them over at the halfway point, but otherwise you can leave them to bake until they're soft enough to poke through with a fork

Stage 2 - Create Kaukau Puree
1. Once the sweet potatoes have cooked, remove them from the oven (keep the oven on, though) and peel the sweet potatoes out of the tinfoil
2. Slice your kaukau very carefully lengthwise
3. Take a spoon and hollow out your sweet potato into a bowl. For presentation's sake, try to keep the skin of your sweet potato intact, although this is optional
4. Begin to puree your sweet potato insides with a whisk. As the sweet potato begins to puree, add your coconut oil and continue to whisk
5. Add your coconut milk, shallots, garlic and ginger and whisk in well
6. Next, add your orange juice, cinnamon, salt and pepper, and whisk again
7. Very carefully and gently scoop your kaukau coconut mash back into the sweet potato skins (which will have cooled and slightly hardened again)
8. Place your filled kaukau canoes into the oven for another 5 minutes, then remove and let cool.

Source: Arousing Appetites, by Cyrus Roepers, https://blog.arousingappetites.com/kaukau-papua-new-guinea-sweet-potato-coconut/

Chicken and Greens in Coconut Milk

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
2 1⁄2 lbs chicken, cut into serving pieces
2 tablespoons oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 inch piece ginger, finely chopped
1 1⁄2 cups coconut milk
1 1⁄2 lbs greens (spinach, bok choy, watercress, etc.)
1 medium size squash (such as butternut)
salt & pepper

Directions

Remove the skin from the chicken and lightly brown in the oil with 1 clove of the garlic.

Add 1/2 cup or so of the coconut milk, the ginger, and the remaining garlic. Simmer for about 15 minutes.

Skin and cut the squash into cubes. Add to chicken. Simmer for about 15 more minutes.

Add the greens and let simmer for about 5-10 more minutes, depending on which green you use.

Season to taste with salt & pepper.

Serve over rice.

Source: Food.com, by Elmotoo, https://www.food.com/recipe/chicken-and-greens-in-coconut-milk-457888


Saksak (Tapioca & Banana Dumplings in Coconut Milk)
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 cups tapioca pearls
3 bananas , chopped
3 Tbsp sugar , to taste
banana leaves -OR-
aluminum foil , for wrapping
15-30 ounces coconut milk , whole or light

Directions

To prep the tapioca, measure it into a bowl and cover with water. Immediately drain off what you can without using a strainer.

Add in the quartered and chopped banana and sprinkle on sugar.

Squish and mix with hands until everything is evenly distributed. Take a little taste for sweetener and adjust as you'd like.

Steam the packets for about 15-20 minutes. You'll know they are cooked when the sago balls are completely translucent translucent with no traces of white (except for the banana pieces).

Refrigerate the packets until cool.

Unwrap and serve in warm, silky coconut milk bath.

Source: Global Table Adventures, by Sasha Martin, http://globaltableadventure.com/recipe/tapioca-banana-dumplings-in-coconut-milk-saksak/