Collection
Oceanian Vegetable-led Recipes
A tour of Oceania through vegetable-led: 51 authentic dishes, each tied to a real country and region, each with its cultural story and dietary swaps built in.
51 recipes
Palusami (Baked Coconut Taro Parcels)Upolu, Samoa · easy · 80 minTaro leaves wrapped around rich coconut cream and onion, baked until silky, the crown of the umu feast.
Anzac BiscuitsVictoria, Australia · easy · 30 minGolden oat-and-coconut biscuits bound with golden syrup, chewy or snappy, a national argument.
Queensland Pumpkin SconesQueensland, Australia · easy · 35 minGolden, pillowy scones enriched with mashed pumpkin, a Queensland institution served warm with butter.
PavlovaCanterbury, New Zealand · medium · 95 minA cloud of meringue, crisp shell, marshmallow heart, piled with cream and summer fruit. The dessert two nations claim.
Lap LapEfate (Port Vila), Vanuatu · medium · 130 minGrated root vegetables and coconut cream wrapped in banana leaf and baked in an earth oven, Vanuatu's national dish.
BabakauViti Levu, Fiji · medium · 105 minPuffy, faintly sweet Fijian fried bread, crisp outside and pillowy within, torn and dunked in sweet milky tea for breakfast.
Koko AlaisaUpolu, Samoa · easy · 35 minSamoan cocoa rice: short-grain rice simmered with rich local cocoa, coconut, and sugar into a warm, chocolatey porridge.
Vegemite on ToastVictoria, Australia · easy · 5 minHot buttered toast under a thin, salty scrape of Vegemite, the deceptively simple, fiercely defended Australian breakfast.
Roasted Kaukau with CoconutHighlands, Papua New Guinea · easy · 40 minKaukau (sweet potato) roasted in the embers and eaten with fresh grated coconut, an everyday Papua New Guinean breakfast.
Keke IsiteTongatapu, Tonga · medium · 105 minTongan fried "yeast cakes", crisp-shelled, fluffy doughnuts eaten warm with tea, a Saturday-morning island tradition.
Cook Islands PokeRarotonga, Cook Islands · easy · 55 minCooked ripe banana bound with arrowroot and baked until translucent, drowned in thick coconut cream, eaten at breakfast, at teatime, or alongside the main meal.
Taro with Coconut SyrupNgerulmud, Palau · easy · 40 minSteamed taro drizzled with a warm caramel-like coconut syrup, a gently sweet Palauan breakfast built on the islands' staple root.
Kiribati Coconut RiceTarawa, Kiribati · easy · 30 minRice simmered in fresh coconut milk and sweetened with coconut toddy, a soft, fragrant breakfast from the atolls of Kiribati.
Marshallese Banana PancakesMajuro, Marshall Islands · easy · 25 minThick, sweet banana pancakes flecked with coconut, griddled golden, a modern Marshall Islands breakfast favorite.
Banana in Coconut CreamYaren, Nauru · easy · 15 minRipe bananas warmed in sweet coconut cream with a hint of lime, a soft, quick Nauruan breakfast from the Pacific's smallest republic.
Boiled Kumara with Fresh CoconutHoniara, Solomon Islands · easy · 25 minTender boiled kumara (sweet potato) tossed with fresh grated coconut and a little salt, an honest, everyday Solomon Islands breakfast.
FekeiFunafuti, Tuvalu · medium · 45 minA sweet Tuvaluan pudding of grated pulaka or banana cooked with coconut cream into a sticky, caramel-rich cake.
VakaloloViti Levu, Fiji · easy · 65 minDense baked cassava under a dark coconut caramel, one of Fiji's oldest sweets, cut into sticky squares.
Fa'ausiUpolu, Samoa · easy · 60 minWarm squares of grated-taro cake folded through a dark, salty-sweet coconut caramel, a Samoan Sunday favorite.
Saksak (Sago and Banana Dumplings)Highlands, Papua New Guinea · easy · 35 minPearls of sago and sweet banana set in coconut cream, the pudding that turns up at feasts across Papua New Guinea.
Faikakai TopaiTongatapu, Tonga · easy · 35 minSoft boiled dumplings drowned in a thick, dark coconut-sugar caramel, a Tongan after-feast sweet.
Fiji Roti ParcelViti Levu, Fiji · medium · 55 minA soft griddle roti wrapped around spiced potato-and-pea curry, the everyday one-handed lunch of Fiji's towns.
SimboroEfate (Port Vila), Vanuatu · easy · 45 minGrated cassava rolled in island-cabbage leaves and simmered in coconut cream, Vanuatu's everyday take on laplap.
Nalot (Pounded Breadfruit with Coconut Cream)Efate (Port Vila), Vanuatu · easy · 65 minRoasted breadfruit pounded to a smooth, heavy paste and served with a well of hot coconut cream poured into the middle.
Sweet Banana LaplapEfate (Port Vila), Vanuatu · easy · 80 minThe sweet, dessert cousin of Vanuatu's savory national dish: grated cassava and ripe banana bound in coconut cream, wrapped in banana leaves and baked until dense and pudding-like.
Pawpaw PokeRarotonga, Cook Islands · easy · 55 minThe orange poke of Rarotonga: ripe pawpaw thickened with arrowroot, baked into a soft pudding and eaten on its own under sweet coconut cream.
Seboseb (Tapioca Coconut Pudding)Ngerulmud, Palau · easy · 30 minA silky Palauan pudding of tapioca starch cooked slowly with sugar and coconut milk until glossy and chewy, served cool.
Buatoro (Pumpkin Coconut Cake)Tarawa, Kiribati · easy · 80 minA moist Kiribati cake of grated pumpkin or swamp taro baked with coconut milk and kamaimai, the islands' dark coconut toddy syrup.
Benben in Mokmok (Arrowroot and Coconut Sap Dumplings)Majuro, Marshall Islands · easy · 30 minMarshallese arrowroot simmered with sweet coconut sap into a soft jelly, shaped into little balls and rolled in fresh grated coconut.
Uht Sukusuk (Pounded Banana with Coconut Cream)Palikir, Micronesia · easy · 25 minA Pohnpeian sweet of ripe bananas boiled and pounded to a smooth, sticky mass, crowned with a pour of fresh coconut cream.
Nauruan Coconut MousseYaren, Nauru · easy · 25 minA light, cool Nauruan coconut mousse: coconut milk sweetened and set soft with agar and folded through whipped coconut cream, made for special days.
Solomon Islands Cassava PuddingHoniara, Solomon Islands · easy · 65 minA sticky, chewy Solomon Islands pudding of grated cassava baked with coconut cream and sugar, served at weddings and feast days.
Grilled Breadfruit with MitiFunafuti, Tuvalu · easy · 55 minWhole breadfruit roasted over coals until smoky and tender, torn into pieces and dipped into miti, a fresh coconut cream sauce sharpened with onion, chili and lime.
Puleleti (Coconut and Coconut Syrup Sweet)Funafuti, Tuvalu · easy · 25 minA chewy Tuvaluan coconut candy, fresh grated coconut cooked down with sweet coconut toddy syrup until thick, sticky and glossy.
LamingtonsQueensland, Australia · medium · 65 minSquares of vanilla butter sponge dipped in thin chocolate icing and rolled in desiccated coconut.
Afghan BiscuitsCanterbury, New Zealand · easy · 35 minCrunchy cocoa biscuits studded with cornflakes, topped with chocolate icing and a walnut half.
Rēwena Parāoa (Māori Potato Bread)Waikato, New Zealand · advanced · 80 minA traditional Māori sourdough raised with a fermented potato starter, baked into a soft, faintly sour loaf.
Rourou (Taro Leaves in Coconut Cream)Viti Levu, Fiji · easy · 40 minYoung taro leaves simmered down in coconut cream with onion until silky, dark and rich.
Panipopo (Samoan Coconut Buns)Upolu, Samoa · medium · 60 minSoft sweet yeast buns baked sitting in a thick, sweetened coconut sauce until golden and sticky.
Aelan Kabis (Island Cabbage in Coconut Milk)Efate (Port Vila), Vanuatu · easy · 25 minIsland cabbage leaves simmered in coconut milk with onion, the everyday green of the Vanuatu table.
Rukau (Taro Leaves in Coconut Cream)Rarotonga, Cook Islands · easy · 60 minYoung taro leaves slow-cooked with onion and coconut cream into a soft, silky green dish, the Cook Islands staple vegetable.
Dia (Sago and Banana in Coconut Cream)Highlands, Papua New Guinea · easy · 40 minRipe banana and sago wrapped in banana leaves and boiled, then served warm with thick coconut cream, a Central District delicacy.
Poi (Pounded Taro)Honiara, Solomon Islands · easy · 50 minCooked taro pounded to a smooth paste and often left to ferment slightly, the tangy staple side considered the national dish of the Solomon Islands.
Slippery Cabbage with Ngali NutHoniara, Solomon Islands · easy · 35 minSlippery cabbage greens cooked and coated with pounded ngali nut, featuring the sacred indigenous nut of the Solomon Islands.
Belsiich el Kukau (Pounded Taro)Ngerulmud, Palau · medium · 90 minFreshly cooked taro pounded with coconut oil into a smooth, fluffy paste and steamed, the Palauan staple served with fish.
Fafa (Kosraean Pounded Taro)Palikir, Micronesia · medium · 60 minSoft taro pounded smooth with a stone tok and mixed with coconut milk, the signature ceremonial food of Kosrae.
Kon (Chuukese Pounded Breadfruit)Palikir, Micronesia · medium · 60 minRipe breadfruit boiled and pounded hot with coconut milk into a creamy paste, a ceremonial food of Chuuk served with fish or chicken.
Chukuchuk (Coconut Rice Balls)Majuro, Marshall Islands · easy · 35 minWarm sticky rice rolled by hand into balls and coated in freshly grated coconut, a Marshallese staple served with fish.
Talo Tokotokoi (Baked Taro with Coconut Cream)Funafuti, Tuvalu · easy · 110 minBaked taro broken into chunks and coated in a thick, sweet coconut cream cooked down until glossy, a favourite at Tuvaluan feasts.
Te Taki (Breadfruit in Coconut Cream)Tarawa, Kiribati · easy · 55 minChunks of starchy breadfruit slow-simmered in rich coconut cream until soft and silky, an everyday Kiribati way with the atoll's most reliable crop.
DingonYaren, Nauru · easy · 50 minPounded breadfruit or banana worked with fresh coconut and fragrant pandanus, shaped into dense little patties and baked or pan-fried, a classic Nauruan savory food.
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