Samoan Recipes

Samoan food is organized around the family and the Sunday meal, which is traditionally cooked in an umu, a stone oven above ground or in a pit. Taro (talo), breadfruit, green bananas and coconut cream form the base of most meals, with pork, chicken and fresh fish alongside. Palusami, coconut cream baked in taro leaves, is the favorite side, and oka, raw fish in lemon juice and coconut cream, is a staple of gatherings. Canned corned beef, known as pisupo, arrived in the twentieth century and is now part of everyday cooking, as is sapasui, a noodle dish influenced by Chinese cooking. Sweet dishes include panipopo, soft buns baked in coconut sauce, and koko alaisa, a cocoa rice pudding eaten for breakfast. Cocoa is grown locally, and koko Samoa is a thick drink made from roasted cocoa. Meals are generous and shared, and elders are served first.

Staple ingredients

• taro (talo)
• breadfruit
• green bananas
• coconut cream
• fresh fish
• pork
• canned corned beef (pisupo)
• cocoa

• Breakfast 1
• Appetizers 1
• Main Dishes 1
• Side Dishes 2
• Desserts 1

Breakfast

• Koko Alaisa (Samoan Cocoa Rice Porridge)WS35 minEasy

Appetizers

• Oka (Samoan Raw Tuna in Lemon Juice and Coconut Cream)WS20 minEasy

Main Dishes

• Sapasui (Samoan Glass Noodles with Beef and Vegetables)WS45 minEasy

Side Dishes

• Palusami (Samoan Taro Leaves Baked in Coconut Cream)WS1 h 25 minMedium
• Fa'alifu Fa'i (Samoan Green Bananas in Coconut Cream)WS50 minEasy

Desserts

• Panipopo (Samoan Coconut Buns Baked in Sweet Coconut Sauce)WS1 h 5 minMedium