Best RecipesSamoan History Month and Samoan Style BBQ News Recipes

By panipopos


I've designated May to be Samoan History Month here at SamoaFood.com as our contribution to the 50th Independence Day Celebrations that will be happening in Samoa and in Samoan enclaves around the world on June 1, 2012. 


To kick things off, I'd like to honour a true Samoan historical hero. This photo of him always brings tears to my eyes. 

His name is Lauaki Namulau'ulu Mamoe. In this photo, Lauaki holds the to'oto'o (staff) and fue (flywhisk) which are the culturally significant accessories of Samoan orators, and he wears an 'ulafala (pandanus seed necklace). He is posed, pointing as if in the middle of some great lauga (speech), but because his mouth is closed, he obviously is not speaking. He is probably standing in a studio where he has been holding the 'great orator' pose for several minutes in order for the camera to capture the shot.


Lauaki's picture brings wetness to my eyes for many reasons. I feel sad because this photo is not taken in context, but in some sterile studio. Beyond that, Lauaki's pose reminds me of my father, also a tulafale (orator) who I've seen many times in the heat of a lauga strike this very pose (albeit with mouth open and fire in his eyes). I admire Lauaki's strong jaw and the muscle in his shoulders. What a wonderfully strong Savaiian physique!


What really causes my tears to overflow is Lauaki's story. You see, if it wasn't for this man, Samoa probably would not be celebrating Independence Day at all.


At a time when the Germans ruled Samoa and were bent on turning the islands into one great big copra factory, Lauaki lead the opposition against the German Governor, Dr Solf, and his administration. Things came to a head when the German leader stripped the Tumua and Pule of their power, the ultimate insult to traditional Samoan authority. 


Lauaki was not alone in opposing Governor Solf, but he was seen as the main perpetrator of the uprising, so he was banished from Samoa to Saipan in 1909 along with seventy of his supporters. Photos of Lauaki and his family and fellow chiefs are poignant, for though he was allowed to return to Samoa in 1915, he died on the voyage back. After six whole years in exile, Lauaki never saw his beloved islands of Samoa again. 


In honour of a man who was a pioneer of Samoan independence, I offer a recipe for Samoan style barbeque. As barbeques are a traditional way to celebrate American Independence Day, I thought it fitting to give a recipe for traditional Samoan barbeque. This was how my family prepared meat for beach-side and backyard barbeques. This is the kind of food you seek after a hard night out clubbing or on a day you don't feel like cooking. It's a cinch to prepare and works for almost any BBQ meat, with the exception of hamburger patties. It works especially well with chicken on the bone and chuck steak.

Make a marinade of soy sauce and water in a 1:1 ratio. This means, if you use 1 cup of soy sauce, use 1 cup of water. Slice onions (1 per 2 cups of soy/water mixture) and add these to the marinade. Add your meat and leave to marinade overnight or at least for several hours (to tenderise and flavour the meat). 


I'm assuming here that you are using a high quality dark soysauce like Kikkoman Shoyu. If you are using something weaker, then reduce the water accordingly. Also, feel free to add freshly crushed ginger, sugar, honey, sesame oil or whatever you like to the marinade. But believe me, it will taste good with just soy sauce, water and onions. No, really!


When ready to BBQ, cook the meat over the coals until it is a deep dark brown, then place the meat in a large saucepan. (In my day, it was the same saucepan that we marinaded all the meat in - yes, all the meat together - food safety be damned!). Once all your meat is browned and in the saucepan, pour any remaining marinade into the same saucepan and place it over a low/medium flame. Simmer until the onions are softened and the whole pot is steaming, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve with a creamy potato salad and a fresh cabbage coleslaw (recipes to follow).

While you're enjoying your Independence Day BBQ, take a moment to reflect on the life of a brave native hero who never made it home. To read more about the amazing Lauaki, see Remembrance of Pacific Pasts (Borofsky, R (ed.)) Chapter 2 by Peter Hempenstall, called "Releasing the Voices 'Historicizing Colonial Encounters in the Pacific'".


And if you are fortunate enough to be able to trace your gafa (genealogy) back to this amazing man, I say from the bottom of my heart, thank you. For your forefather's sacrifice. Thank you. 

Best RecipesKeke Pua'a Filling News Recipes

If I had a FAQ, this Q would definitely be one of the most FA'd. From an email I received today:


Hi Panipopo,
Just wandering how to make the filling for the kekepua'a and what ingredients please.

Thanks

So here's a recipe from an old Samoan cookbook. This recipe is not mine and I have not tested it so there are no accompanying photos. But I wanted to give people a starting point for the filling. Keep in mind that this is a basic recipe, but as always, feel free to jazz it up by adding fresh ginger, sugar or whatever floats your boat.

3 lbs (1.5 kg) pork, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely diced

2 cups (500 ml) cold water

1/4 cup (60 ml) dark soy sauce

In a large fry pan, saute the pork and onion for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the cold water and the soy sauce and stir well. Simmer until the pork is cooked. Remove from the heat and cover. Set aside to cool until ready to fill the keke pua'a.

Best RecipesPisua - Tapioca in coconut caramel News Recipes

This excellent recipe was passed to me by my sister, O. It uses tapioca pearls which are more widely available than the traditionally used cassava root. Since tapioca comes from cassava there is no difference in taste between this and the traditional pisua, only a difference in form.

Enjoy this irresistible dessert of jelly-like tapioca cubes drenched in coconut caramel. 


Pisua
(serves 4)
1 cup small tapioca pearls
½ cup sugar
2½ cups water


Mix everything in a medium saucepan and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Leave to soak for at least 6 hours or overnight. 


After soaking, add another 2½ cups water and bring the mixture to a boil then reduce to simmer. Cook for about half an hour, stirring frequently, until the tapioca pearls are clear. When the tapioca is cooked, pour the mixture into a shallow rectangular pan to cool.
Once the tapioca mixture has cooled completely, cut it into small squares.


Make a coconut caramel sauce by caramelising 1½ cups of sugar until dark amber. Add 1 can of coconut cream and stir until combined. Cool slightly then pour into a bowl. Add the tapioca cubes and a 1/4 cup of sugar. Stir to combine. 

Serve for dessert or as a sweet snack.

Best RecipesMamma Jamma Pancakes News Recipes

My sister M is the only one in my family that can make traditional Samoan pancakes like my mother. She's mastered the art of those simple, tasty treats, an art which involves measuring by eye, mixing to perfection and frying to a crisp crunchy finish. And it is an art, because not everyone can make them. 


Especially moi.


Unfortunately M has also inherited my mother's Samoan abilities at explaining a recipe, because when I asked her how to make them she said over the phone, "It's easy, it's just flour, sugar, water..."
"How about eggs?" I asked.
"If we have them, I put them in," she replied.
"Do you use milk?" I asked.
"Sometimes," she said.
"Anything else?" I pressed.
"No, that's it I think," she answered.
So I faithfully tried a dozen different batters of all different proportions of flour, sugar and water and none came out like my childhood pancake memories. 


Tired and dejected, I fried the last of my unsuccessful batter into a pancake in the shape of M's head, and smooshed it with my spatula. 


That's what happens when there's only one person in your family that can make something and you leave it to them to always make it. 

It's not that I never tried to make them, because I have, but my efforts have always been hit and miss. 


So this recipe has be filed under 'inspired'. It's my own take on traditional Samoan pancakes because I honestly could not get the flour/sugar/water thing to work. And because according to my sister M, the expert, there is no baking powder in traditional Samoan pancakes. In fact, when I told her about the baking powder, she wrote: 'Are you making pagi keke mafolafola (flat pancakes) or pagi keke mamma jamma?'.


Looks like it is the mamma jamma kind. 


M, sorry about that pancake I made in the shape of your head. But you can't imagine how frustrating it is to not be able to make something that only requires three ingredients. If it's any consolation, the pancake had a nice shape, a golden brown complexion and was tough - kinda like you, Mamma Jamma.

Mamma Jamma Pancakes
(makes 12)
2 cups (250 g) flour
4 teaspoons (15 g) baking powder
3 Tablespoons (40 g) sugar
1⅓ cup (160 ml) water
oil for frying


Measure everything into a bowl and stir quickly but lightly to combine all the ingredients. Do not overmix, or try to get the batter smooth. The batter will be slightly lumpy but you shouldn't see any big lumps of flour.


Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a frypan. The oil should be generous enough to coat the bottom of the pan and then some. When you see the oil start to shimmer when you swirl it around the pan then it's hot enough for frying the pancakes. If the oil is smoking, it's too hot.


Scoop heaped tablespoonfuls of batter into the frypan. The batter should sizzle when it hits the oil. Fry each side until golden. 









The first side will be done when bubbles poke through the batter. The second side will take less time than the first. 


Add oil each time you start a new batch of pancakes.

Serve with butter and jam, or a classic Samoan mixture of the two. We used to make this when we had fa'alavelave, and had to cater for scores of people. The all-in-one spread made it easier to churn out plates of crackers, pancakes or thickly sliced white bread.

Best RecipesFilled Rolls News Recipes

This is not just a bun.


Look inside:

It's pagi popo turned inside out! Fluffy white rolls with luscious coconut cream filling.


Use your favourite bread roll (or my pagi popo recipe) and while the dough is rising the first time, make a filling and allow it to cool.


Coconut Milk Filling
(makes enough for 12 rolls)
2/3 cup (130 g) sugar 
1/4 cup (30 g)flour
1 can (14 oz/400 ml) coconut milk 


Whisk everything together in a saucepan until smooth, then cook over low/medium heat until thickened and floury taste is gone.


Coconut Caramel Filling
(makes enough for 12 rolls)
1 cup (200 g) sugar
1 can (14 oz/400 ml) coconut milk
4 Tablespoons (30 g) flour
1/2 cup water
1 cup (70 g) grated coconut


Caramelise the sugar over medium heat until deep golden brown. Add coconut milk and stir until combined. Mix the flour with the water until smooth and add this to the sugar mixture. Simmer over low heat for 30 seconds until thick. Remove from heat and add grated coconut. Mix well.


* Move quickly but carefully when making the coconut caramel filling because the sugar will continue to caramelise as long as it's on the heat and may become bitter if overcooked.


Both the fillings above will thicken upon standing. They should be at room temperature by the time you wish to use them. 


Once your bun dough is ready, divide it into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and then use a rolling pin to flatten into a circle. Scoop a generous tablespoon of filling in the centre of each circle. Gather the edges up and press together to seal. Make sure the filling is completely sealed in because it will ooze out of any holes it can find while baking. 


Place seam side down in a baking pan (12x8x2"/30x20x5 cm) and leave to rise for a second time until doubled in volume. Bake for 35 minutes at 375°F (190°C).


Cool for at least half an hour before serving.

Best RecipesHot Samoan Boys News Recipes

I'm driving through some random place in Samoa and see a young man alongside the road. Perhaps he's balancing a load of coconuts over his shoulder and heading home. Maybe he's playing volleyball or soccer. Perhaps he's just sitting around, laughing with friends, shooting the breeze. He casually throws my car a look of mild curiousity. and I glance at him with nonchalance, at first. That look soon turns to one of open appreciation, as I realise I'm looking at one of the finest specimens of male on God's green earth: A Hot Samoan Boy.


A thrill courses through me as I take in his sleek physique, his even, white smile and his confident, carefree swagger. My pulse starts racing and I'm slightly breathless. I find myself self-consciously smoothing down my hair and cranking up the air-conditioner because it's suddenly gotten hot. As his figure becomes a receding dot in my rear-view mirror, I'm thinking three things.
Hot.
Samoan.
Boys.


If you could take that electric thrill, that fiery excitement, that tingly rushing sensation, catch it in a bottle and slap a label on it, what would you call it?


Stella Muller found the perfect name: Hot Samoan Boys Chilli Sauce.

Stella and her husband are responsible for branding and marketing this hot new product from Samoa. She came up with the catchy, saucy name, which by the way, is meant to be completely non-sexual (the driving fantasy above belongs to my own lecherous imagination). 


Stella has graciously taken a bit of time to tell us a bit about this fantastic homegrown sauce.


What makes Hot Samoan Boys Chilli Sauce different from other chilli sauces? Hot Samoan Boys Chilli sauce is different from other sauces because it is:

*         An unblended sauce - HSBC is made from 100% Birds eye chilli,
unlike others that will use a mix of different chillis in their sauce

*         Created from birds eye chilli, planted and hand-picked from
villages across Samoa

*         The only chilli sauce made out of Samoa, the cradle of the Pacific


What's the best way to eat your chilli sauce? (ie. best food combinations)
HSBC is a great accompaniment to any meal, however some favourites include:

*         Raw fish - a few dashes of HSBC give any raw fish a nice kick

*         Pork - specifically pig on a spit or roast pork -  if apple
sauce is getting a bit tired, try some HSBC and you will notice the
difference.

*         Pacific Bloody Mary - Same recipe as a Bloody Mary, however
instead of using Tobasco sauce , use HSBC.

Basically you can use HSBC any way you like as it gives a nice kick, but
unlike sauces with Habanero or hotter chillis, you can still enjoy and
taste what you are eating.

How can international buyers get some?
International customers can find out how to order by visiting our website or Facebook page.


I can already think of a million and one ways to use Samoa's very own Chilli Sauce. And if you need just a tiny bit more incentive to try it, here it is:

Go get your Hot! Samoan Boys Chilli Sauce today!

Best RecipesA 'light lunch' and a basic village skill News Recipes

This was a simple to'ona'i (Sunday lunch) in Samoa, and looking back at it now, it was a relatively healthy one, especially as this food was meant for two people. From the top left clockwise is supo mamoe (lamb soup), oka (fish in coconut milk), curried chicken, selection of roast taro, ta'amu and ulu (breadfruit), a hidden package of luau and a plate of umu-cooked pork. 


And take a look at the serving 'platter' holding the various roots and luau. Do you think you can weave a serving mat like that? If you can, you can make mats for serving food, mats to sleep on, mats to keep the wind and rain out of your house, baskets for carrying things and even hats and fans. So add that to your list of basic survival skills - weaving.