Po'e of banana with coconut cream
A tropical fondant: ripe banana purée bound with arrowroot, baked in the earth oven and topped with fresh coconut cream. Soft, moist, comforting — the sweetness offered to guests and shared as a sign of abundance.
A tropical fondant: ripe banana purée bound with arrowroot, baked in the earth oven and topped with fresh coconut cream. Soft, moist, comforting — the sweetness offered to guests and shared as a sign of abundance.
You think bananas ripen on their own? That's thanks to me! I lassoed that over-hasty sun, thrashed it until it slowed — and since then, days are long and fruits are sweet. Mash those golden bananas for me, bind them with pia, and slip it all into the earth oven. When it comes out, drown it in coconut cream. Taste: it's the taste of a sun I tamed for you.
- •Ripe bananas (fe'i variety or sweet plantain) — a bunch (sweet base)
- •Pia (Polynesian arrowroot) — a handful (starchy binder)
- •Coconut cream — generous (topping)
- •Banana leaves — a few (cooking mold)
Po'e of banana with coconut cream
A tropical fondant: ripe banana purée bound with arrowroot, baked in the earth oven and topped with fresh coconut cream. Soft, moist, comforting — the sweetness offered to guests and shared as a sign of abundance.
Why this dish? Māui slowed the sun to lengthen the days and ripen the fruits: without his long days, no sugar-laden bananas. This slow sweetness, cooked in the earth oven, is a delicious homage to his most useful feat.
You think bananas ripen on their own? That's thanks to me! I lassoed that over-hasty sun, thrashed it until it slowed — and since then, days are long and fruits are sweet. Mash those golden bananas for me, bind them with pia, and slip it all into the earth oven. When it comes out, drown it in coconut cream. Taste: it's the taste of a sun I tamed for you.
Ingredients (period version)
- Ripe bananas (fe'i variety or sweet plantain) — a bunch (sweet base)
- Pia (Polynesian arrowroot) — a handful (starchy binder)
- Coconut cream — generous (topping)
- Banana leaves — a few (cooking mold)
Ingredients
- Very ripe bananas — 6 (sweet base)
- Arrowroot (or maranta starch) — 4 tbsp (binder)
- Thick coconut milk — 250 ml (topping)
- Water — a little (to thin the purée)
Method
- Mash the ripe bananas into a smooth purée.
- Stir in the arrowroot and a little water until you get a thick, even paste.
- Pour into a dish lined with banana leaf (or a buttered mold) and bake for 35-40 minutes at 180°C, until the mixture sets and caramelizes slightly.
- Let cool slightly, cut into squares and generously pour fresh coconut milk over before serving.
How it was made : Po'e (Tahiti) or poke (Cook Islands/Hawaii for fruit versions) was traditionally thickened with starch from local tubers — pia (Polynesian arrowroot) or taro starch — then cooked in the umu. Pumpkin or papaya versions came after the arrival of New World plants: here we stick with banana, long present in the Pacific.
The contemporary twist : Serve the po'e as a neat cube on a slate, with a streak of coconut coulis and toasted coconut shavings, dessert-plate style.
Sources : Nancy J. Pollock, 'These Roots Remain' · Te Ara — Encyclopedia of New Zealand, entry 'Cooking'
Maui · Charactorium
