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Laulau

Traditional Hawaiian laulau — juicy pork and salted black cod wrapped in taro leaves and slow-steamed until tender.

Time300 min
Servings6
Calories36 kcal
LevelMedium

Ingredients

  • boneless pork shoulder900 g
  • salted black cod (butterfish)225 g
  • young taro leaves30 pcs
  • ti leaves6 pcs
  • Hawaiian sea salt1.5 tsp
  • black pepper0.5 tsp
  • water3000 ml

Instructions

1

Rinse the taro leaves thoroughly. Trim the thick center stem and tough part of the stalk from each leaf; if the stem won't come off cleanly, slit it lengthwise. Rinse the ti leaves and set them aside for the outer wrapping.

2

Cut the pork shoulder into 6 large chunks, about 150 g each. Season with Hawaiian sea salt and black pepper. Rinse the salted black cod to remove excess salt, then cut into 6 pieces.

3

For each portion, layer 5 taro leaves on top of one another, turning the stems in different directions. Place a piece of pork and a piece of salted black cod in the center. Fold the leaves into a tight bundle, fully enclosing the filling.

4

Wrap each bundle in 1 ti leaf, tucking the edges in and securing them by crossing the ends of the leaf. Repeat for all 6 bundles.

5

Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a rolling boil. Set up a steamer basket or rack so the bundles won't touch the water.

6

Place the laulau in the steamer, cover with a lid, and steam at a gentle simmer for 5 hours. Check the water level every 45 minutes and top up with hot water as needed; don't let the pot run dry.

7

The laulau is done when the taro leaves have turned dark green and break apart easily with a fork, and the pork is very tender. Remove the outer ti leaves; the taro leaves are eaten together with the filling. Serve hot.