Recipe: Tongan Recipes - Palusami (Samoa), Baked Fish and Papaya (Tonga)

Hi Dawn,

That's very thoughtful of you to try to cook something special for your homesick friend!

Many of the foods eaten in Tonga are typical of those served elsewhere in the South Pacific and Hawaii: a lot of seafood, meats and poultry cooked with hot rocks in an underground oven, vegetables you can't readily get on the mainland (breadfruit, various forms of taro and taro leaves), tropical fruits for dessert. Coconut is widely used in cooking, both the coconut meat and coconut milk, but there's very little seasoning aside from salt.

Here are a couple of recipes I've come across over the years. Palusami is Samoan in origin, but is also popular in Tonga.

Susan, Hawaii

Palusami (Samoa)
Serves 6

The traditional Samoan diet does not contain many green vegetables, except for taro leaves. Cooked taro leaves resemble cooked spinach. However, because they are high in oxalic acid, they must be cooked for a long time before eating. Corned beef was brought to Samoa, and many other areas of Polynesia, by Western missionaries and quickly adopted into the local diet.

24 to 30 taro, Swiss chard, or large spinach leaves
2 cups coconut milk
8 ounces cooked corned beef
1 onion, sliced
2 tomatoes, sliced
salt

Remove central stalk from taro leaves, or cut off thick part of chard stalks. Soften leaves in hot water just until pliable. For individual servings, arrange 4 to 5 leaves in the palm of your hand to form a cup, so that the largest leaves are on the bottom and any holes are covered. For a single casserole, arrange the leaves in a shallow ovenproof casserole.

Place 1 cup of coconut milk (divided for individual portions) and corned beef in the center of the leaves. Top with tomato and onion slices and salt to taste. Carefully pour remaining coconut milk on top, making sure it doesn't run out the edges. Fold over the leaves to make a neat parcel. Secure with a toothpick, kitchen string, or (traditionally) a piece of banana fiber.

Wrap individual portions in foil or a wilted banana leaf. Place in a covered casserole (or cover casserole) and bake 30 to 40 minutes at 350 until leaves are cooked and meat is heated through. Serve hot or cold.

Baked Fish and Papaya (Tonga)

I suspect this recipe, which I came across in a South Seas community cookbook, is a modern adaptation of a traditional dish that was baked in banana or ti leaves. The "coconut cream" means thick coconut milk - not the canned, sweetened coconut milk used in tropical drinks.

fish fillets, such as snapper
papaya slices
coconut cream
2 tablespoons lemon juice
salt & pepper
chopped parsley

Arrange fish and papaya in a baking dish. Cover with coconut cream and lemon juice. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Bake, covered, 10 minutes at 450 . Reduce heat to 350 and bake 10 minutes longer. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.