Laplap
Vanuatu's national dish, a dense cake of grated taro or yam with coconut milk and island greens, baked in a banana leaf parcel.
Photo : Michael Coghlan · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 60 min
- Total
- 90 min
- Serves
- 6
- Difficulty
- Medium
Method
- Preheat the oven to 190°C. Pass the banana leaves quickly over a flame or dip them in boiling water for 30 seconds to soften, then wipe dry.
- Grate the taro or yam finely on the small holes of a grater or in a food processor. Squeeze the pulp in a tea towel to remove excess water.
- Mix the pulp with half the coconut milk, the salt and chilli into a thick, even paste.
- Line a baking dish with oiled banana leaves, leaving a generous overhang. Spread half the paste in, scatter over the greens and spring onions, then cover with the remaining paste.
- Pour the rest of the coconut milk over the top. Fold the banana leaves over to seal the parcel and tie with string or cover with foil.
- Bake for 1 hour. The laplap is done when firm and a knife comes out clean. Rest for 10 minutes, unwrap and cut into portions.
In Vanuatu, laplap is traditionally cooked for hours in an earth oven of hot stones. A domestic oven gets remarkably close, and the banana leaf remains essential for the aroma.
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