Tulolo (Tuvaluan Beaten Taro with Coconut Cream)
In short: Oven-baked taro beaten into a smooth, dense pulp and covered with a layer of coconut cream, a pulaka dish from Tuvalu's Niutao island. It takes about 1 h 50 min in total and makes 6 servings.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 1 h 30 min
- Resting
- 10 min
- Total
- 1 h 50 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 250 kcal
Tulolo is a pulaka dish from Niutao in Tuvalu. The cooked corms are beaten into a smooth, dense pulp and covered with a layer of coconut cream, called lolo. The result sits somewhere between mash and pudding, mild, earthy and rich. This version bakes ordinary taro in foil, which gives a nutty depth, then beats it smooth and soaks the top with cream.
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Wrap each taro corm in foil and bake on a tray for 75 to 90 minutes, until a skewer slides through with no resistance.
- Let the taro cool for 10 minutes, until you can handle it. Peel off the skins. Wear gloves if your hands are sensitive.
- Beat the hot taro with the 1/2 teaspoon of salt, using a wooden spoon, a pestle or a stand mixer with the paddle, until smooth and dense.
- Press the taro into a 20 cm (8 in) shallow dish and smooth the top. Stir a pinch of salt into the coconut cream and pour it over.
- Rest for 10 minutes so the cream soaks into the top, then serve warm in scoops.
Tips
- Beat the taro while it is hot. As it cools it turns stiff and rubbery and is hard to smooth. Do not use a blender, which can make it gluey.
- For the halved version, bake small taro corms cut side up under the coconut cream in a covered dish at 180°C (350°F) for about 1 hour.
Questions and answers
What is tulolo?
Tulolo is a Tuvaluan dish of cooked pulaka, or swamp taro, beaten into a pulp and topped with coconut cream. Lolo is the Tuvaluan word for coconut cream.
Why bake the taro instead of boiling it?
Baking keeps the flavor concentrated and gives a drier, nuttier pulp, closer to the earth-oven cooking used in Tuvalu.
How should I serve tulolo?
Serve it warm, as a starchy side with fish. It can also be eaten on its own as a simple meal.
How long does it take to make Tulolo (Tuvaluan Beaten Taro with Coconut Cream)?
About 1 h 50 min in total: 20 min of preparation and 1 h 30 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Tulolo (Tuvaluan Beaten Taro with Coconut Cream)?
About 250 kcal per serving, with 3 g of protein, 41 g of carbohydrates and 8 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 250 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 41 g |
| Fat | 8 g |
| Fiber | 7 g |
| Sugar | 1 g |
| Sodium | 290 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
