wow, this looks really interesting... is there anything else in it besides onion, spinach, and coconut milk? can you post a little recipe? I don't think I've ever had Samoan food...
Josh, Except for a little salt and pepper, that's all that's in there! It's really delicious. Palusami is usually made with taro leaves, coconut cream, and onions, but we can't get taro leaves where we live. My Samoan husband says the spinach version is "close" -better made with coco cream than coco milk. There aren't many recipes on the internet but there are a few. Palusami is one of only a handful that are vegan, as you'll see if you google Samoan recipes. Here is my recipe:
2 lbs fresh spinach leaves, rinsed 1 medium onion, chopped 1 14 oz can coconut milk 1/4 tsp salt pepper, about 3 grinds of pepper mill or to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put coconut milk, chopped onions, salt and pepper in a bowl and briefly stir to combine. Put whole spinach leaves in a large dish (9 x 13 or larger) and gently push down to make fit. Pour coconut mixture evenly over spinach. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Stir mixture, recover and cook another 15 minutes.
Well, as far as Palusami goes, there are different variations to it. The base of it consists of plain taro leaves, coconut milk or cream, onions and salt and pepper. Other variations are adding samoan or polynesian type corned beef (pisupo) or makareal (pilikaki). These are very good!!
I am a vegetarian living in Hawaii, and my Samoan friends made this for me for my birthday, and it was the most amazing thing I've ever tasted. Really flavorful and filling which is hard to come by when you don't eat meat. The only thing is, you gotta make sure you wash the taro (kalo) leaves really well and cook them thoroughly or it'll itch your throat and make it feel like you swallowed nails.
If you live in SoCal you live close to taro leaves...Just go to Ranch 99 Market...One of many from San Fran down to San Diego or any Asian supermarket or Fijian Indian store.
I've been vegan since '94 and this is one of the few Samoan dishes I can eat. Trouble is, I react pretty badly to the taro leaves. My mom's been making it this way for a few years now & it's something I look forward to every holiday, birthday or other family fiafia. Thanks for posting. I'm looking forward to seeing what other vegan mea'ai Samoa you have here!
Palusami is delicious! I refer to it as Samoan creamed spinach, only its better. ;) My Samoan husband and I make this quite often and our guests LOVE it. Amazing how 3 little ingredients can turn into such a great dish. I still love his familys version though, wrapped in taro leaves..mmmmmm
Aloha! I really would love to make this recipe for some of my friends from taiwan however I do not have an oven in my apartment, do You think i can make it on a stove top?
For clarification, Samoans do not just use Taro leaves, we use the baby or young leaves that sprout from the top or middle of the leaf. If it makes your throat itchy, it is because it is the older leaves, which isn't used.
It's not about washing the leaves really well, it's about the leaves itself. We use the young leaves from the taro plant. If it itches your throat, it is because the leaves are mature.
11 comments:
wow, this looks really interesting... is there anything else in it besides onion, spinach, and coconut milk? can you post a little recipe? I don't think I've ever had Samoan food...
Josh, Except for a little salt and pepper, that's all that's in there! It's really delicious. Palusami is usually made with taro leaves, coconut cream, and onions, but we can't get taro leaves where we live. My Samoan husband says the spinach version is "close" -better made with coco cream than coco milk. There aren't many recipes on the internet but there are a few. Palusami is one of only a handful that are vegan, as you'll see if you google Samoan recipes. Here is my recipe:
2 lbs fresh spinach leaves, rinsed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 14 oz can coconut milk
1/4 tsp salt
pepper, about 3 grinds of pepper mill or to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put coconut milk, chopped onions, salt
and pepper in a bowl and briefly stir to combine. Put whole spinach
leaves in a large dish (9 x 13 or larger) and gently push down to
make fit. Pour coconut mixture evenly over spinach. Cover tightly
with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Stir mixture, recover and cook
another 15 minutes.
Hello Josh!!
Well, as far as Palusami goes, there are different variations to it. The base of it consists of plain taro leaves, coconut milk or cream, onions and salt and pepper. Other variations are adding samoan or polynesian type corned beef (pisupo) or makareal (pilikaki). These are very good!!
I am a vegetarian living in Hawaii, and my Samoan friends made this for me for my birthday, and it was the most amazing thing I've ever tasted. Really flavorful and filling which is hard to come by when you don't eat meat. The only thing is, you gotta make sure you wash the taro (kalo) leaves really well and cook them thoroughly or it'll itch your throat and make it feel like you swallowed nails.
If you live in SoCal you live close to taro leaves...Just go to Ranch 99 Market...One of many from San Fran down to San Diego or any Asian supermarket or Fijian Indian store.
I've been vegan since '94 and this is one of the few Samoan dishes I can eat. Trouble is, I react pretty badly to the taro leaves. My mom's been making it this way for a few years now & it's something I look forward to every holiday, birthday or other family fiafia. Thanks for posting. I'm looking forward to seeing what other vegan mea'ai Samoa you have here!
Palusami is delicious! I refer to it as Samoan creamed spinach, only its better. ;)
My Samoan husband and I make this quite often and our guests LOVE it. Amazing how 3 little ingredients can turn into such a great dish. I still love his familys version though, wrapped in taro leaves..mmmmmm
Aloha! I really would love to make this recipe for some of my friends from taiwan however I do not have an oven in my apartment, do You think i can make it on a stove top?
For clarification, Samoans do not just use Taro leaves, we use the baby or young leaves that sprout from the top or middle of the leaf. If it makes your throat itchy, it is because it is the older leaves, which isn't used.
Yes, you can!
It's not about washing the leaves really well, it's about the leaves itself. We use the young leaves from the taro plant. If it itches your throat, it is because the leaves are mature.
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