Best RecipesLaumoli Lautipolo - Citrus leaves News Recipes

By panipopos

lau = leaf
moli = orange
tipolo/kipolo = lemon

Samoans are one of the few populations to use citrus leaves in the kitchen. I mean, lots of people drink tea made from lemon leaves, but not many use the leaves to actually cook with. The Thai people famously use kaffir lime leaves in their curries and the Vietnamese fry lemon leaves up with grubs. And a few Mediterranean populations use citrus leaves for wrapping food and in marinades.

Well, Samoans don't use citrus leaves for curry. And although I've heard of people eating coconut grubs, I don't know many Samoans that do. We don't wrap food in citrus leaves either. Are you kidding? We have taro and banana leaves for that. They hold waaaay more food.

What we do use orange or lemon leaves for is very simple - to impart a subtle citrus fragrance to sweet dishes such as koko araisa (cocoa rice) and sua araisa (milky rice).

Take your orange or lemon leaf from a tree that hasn't been treated with chemicals. You want to choose leaves that are dark green, not the young lighter coloured ones, because the darker, more mature leaves have got more citrus oils (eg. flavour) in them. Throw your leaf in the simmering dish, but like a bayleaf, it's not to be eaten. The leaf will leave a hint of orange or lemon flavour, but the dish won't be overwhelmed by it.

If you can't get your hands on fresh citrus leaves, then try substituting with the fruit zest or essence. But citrus leaves are never an essential ingredient, so you can always leave them out. For instance, I like lautipolo in sua araisa, but not in koko araisa. It's just a matter of taste.

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Best RecipesKoko Araisa video News Recipes

By panipopos

As soon as you add Koko Samoa to boiling water, a chocolatier-than-chocolate smell fills the room. It's a smell that takes you back home to when you were a little kid lapping up your bowl of koko araisa, and running back to the kitchen for more. It's a warm smell, reminiscent of cosy family nights in, or weekend breakfasts, or afternoon tea at church. Even the smell of cold koko araisa brings back memories of after school snacks, leftovers at a cousins house, or just those times when I would sneak in a cup before everyone else woke up. You know what Koko Samoa smells like? It smells like home.



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Best RecipesKoko Araisa - Cocoa rice News Recipes

By panipopos

Koko = Samoan cocoa
Araisa/Alaisa = Rice

Most Samoan kids grow up eating this. It's a treat for breakfast or any time of the day. You can eat this hot or cold, out of a bowl or a mug, lightened with coconut milk or cow's milk - the ingredients are completely variable according to taste.

* You can use any white rice - long, medium or short-grain - but the consistency will vary per rice type. Long-grain will give you clearly separated grains that sink to the bottom of the bowl. Short-grain produces the thickest consistency, like chocolate rice pudding.

* Laumoli is a leaf from an orange tree. Just pick the leaf, rinse it under water and throw it whole in the pot. I guess you could substitute grated orange rind or orange essence.

By the way, the laumoli is just for flavour. Don't eat it.

* There are no hard and fast rules about when to add the Koko Samoa. My mother throws in a whole lump of koko at the beginning and by the time the rice is cooked, the koko is softened and distributed evenly throughout the pan. You can also cook the rice up first with the water, then add the koko near the end. The important thing is to give the koko time in the hot water to release it's flavours and oils and yummy goodness.

If you don't have Koko Samoa, you can substitute any high-quality unsweetened cocoa powder.

* In place of the coconut milk, you can use normal milk.

* And finally, don't judge me ok? But koko araisa tastes really good with thick slices of generously buttered white bread.

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Best RecipesFrom the blogging world News Recipes

By panipopos

I was surfing the net looking for photos from Samoa of koko, and came across Elizabeth's blog. She has kindly allowed me to use her photos, taken in Samoa, of koko beans being roasted and pounded the traditional way. Here you can see the beans being sorted. The burnt ones are no good.

The beans are shelled.

Then they're pounded by a happy person.

You can find more photos from Elizabeth's time in Samoa on her blog Dispatches from the South Seas.

Also check out La Cocinera Loca and their delicious panipopo. The buns look so scrumptious, they inspired me to make two batches for the weekend. I love seeing photos of how other people are making Samoan food. Just gotta be careful not to drool all over the keyboard. The cool thing here is that this blogger has translated our panipopo recipe into French(!), so now even more people can enjoy the wonderfulness that is Samoan cuisine.

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Best RecipesKoko Samoa video News Recipes

By panipopos

You know, I'm not sure why Koko Samoa isn't sold in grated or chipped form. I'm also not sure why Samoa doesn't market it's own chocolate made from Koko. Do you reckon anyone has ever tried to smuggle drugs in the middle of a koko block? And who first had the brilliant idea of using disposable cups for koko molds?

Things that make you go "hmmm" when you're sipping your koko...



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Best RecipesKoko Samoa - Samoan cocoa recipe News Recipes

By panipopos

I believe that Koko Samoa is a comfort drink to Samoans around the world. The smell of the koko while it's simmering away is almost as good as the koko itself, and for me, it brings on many a memory of nights spent chatting with family after being separated the whole day. It's a beverage that you sip slowly while enjoying the warmth of your home, or while spending time with friends. Koko Samoa creates a feeling of togetherness with your drinking companions, a sense of unity because you all appreciate this unique Samoan drink, and even more so, because you are all mannered enough to respect the unspoken rule: Do not stare too long or look too closely at the pegu (grinds) stuck in each other's gums.

Koko Samoa (makes 2 cups)
2 cups (500ml) water
4 tablespoons (24g) Koko Samoa, grated
4 tablespoons (60g) sugar

Bring your water to the boil, then add the Koko. Turn the heat down and simmer for 10-15 minutes to release the cocoa oils and flavour from the nibs. Turn off the heat, and sweeten with the sugar. Pour or ladle into drinking mugs.

Serve hot, always hot. If you let Koko Samoa cool down, you'll be drinking little balls of solidified koko fat.

You can also add milk if desired.

Note on drinking Koko Samoa: Samoans enjoy the pegu (grinds) that you get with every mouthful of drink. Some even strain the drink through their teeth, hoping to have a nice collection of pegu they can chew on at the end (or maybe I'm the only one who does that!). Pegu have the texture of peanuts, but the taste of roasted cacao beans, and I think they're delicious. However, if you are averse to chewing on these, go ahead and strain your koko before drinking it. But then sadly, you will miss out on one of the joys of the experience.



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Best RecipesKoko Samoa - Samoan cocoa News Recipes

By panipopos

It's here! It's here!

My koko Samoa is finally HERE!

Thanks to my beautiful sister, D, I have two quality blocks of koko samoa standing on my kitchen table. I mean REAL Samoan koko! On my kitchen table. I feel like throwing a party because I haven't had Samoan koko since...I can't even remember the last time, and now it's right HERE.
On. My. Kitchen. Table.

Those who have never tasted it are probably asking "What's the big deal about koko samoa?".

Well, you will only appreciate my answer if you are a chocoholic, or a coffeeholic. Because koko samoa is the best that both these beverages have to offer.

Koko samoa is made from Samoan cocoa beans, considered a premium cacao bean because there is no trace of bitterness in it's products. This makes it ideal for drinking.

But koko samoa is the kind of drink that you either love or hate. You'd love it because of it's deep chocolatey aroma and flavour. You'd love it because it packs one hell of a caffeine kick. You'd love it if you grew up with it because it's a smell and taste that is unique to Samoa and Samoans. On the other hand, you'd hate it if you didn't like chewing on grinds while you drink. You'd hate it if you drank it as a kid, then forgot to brush your teeth before you went to school, and then spent the day grinning and laughing your head off before realising you had all the grinds stuck in your teeth. And you'd probably hate it if you were the one that was always stuck pounding the beans.

Nevetherless, koko samoa is truly an original, local product. Samoans pick their own beans, roast them, pound them and then leave the grinds to dry into hardened blocks. Whenever the desire for koko samoa comes up, part of the block is chipped off or grated and then mixed with boiling water and sugar for a hot, satisfying drink.

Koko samoa is so integral to Samoan life, that the cocoa plant is protected by law. The Cocoa Disease Ordinance of 1961 makes it illegal to bring any cocoa plant or seeds into Samoa that might carry pests that threaten the locally grown trees. (After blight almost wiped out the country's taro industry, I bet they're taking this one seriously.)

When I finally stop sniffing my blocks of koko and put them down, I'll take photos and start cooking with them, because this, my friends, just took our blog to a whole other level.

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