Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Eke Takare (Curried Octopus in Coconut Cream)
Tender octopus simmered in a lightly curried coconut cream sauce, a Cook Islands seafood favourite served with rice or taro.
Cook Islander · medium · serves 4
prep 20 min · cook 75 min
~532 cal · 37g protein · 16g carbs · 36g fat · 2g fiber · 6g sugars · 28g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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AI-generated illustration
Eke is octopus, a prized catch on the reefs of the Cook Islands, and eke takare is the islands' curried version, simmered in a sauce spiced with curry powder and turmeric. It reflects a Polynesian table shaped by the lagoon and the coconut palm, with the curry a later Pacific addition.
The octopus is first cooked gently until tender, which takes patience, then cut up and finished in the spiced . The sauce turns rich and golden, mild rather than fiery, letting the sweet, faintly nutty octopus carry the dish.
It is served with rice or boiled root crops such as and kumara. Warm and comforting, eke takare is the kind of seafood cooking that shows off both the reef and the coconut in a single bowl.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
2 lbs octopus, cleaned
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground turmeric
1.5 cups
1 tbsp vegetable oil
to taste salt
Instructions
1
Put the cleaned octopus in a large pot with water to cover, bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer and cook until fully tender, about 60 minutes. Drain and cut into bite-sized pieces.
✎ Chef’s note
Octopus firms up and then relaxes as it cooks; low, slow heat is what keeps it tender. Freezing and thawing fresh octopus first also helps. If using king oyster mushrooms, skip the boiling and sear them instead.
2
Heat the oil in a pan and cook the onion until soft, then add the garlic, curry powder and turmeric and stir for a minute until fragrant.
3
Pour in the coconut cream and bring to a gentle simmer.
4
Add the octopus pieces (or seared mushrooms) and simmer for about 15 minutes until the sauce thickens. Season with salt and serve with rice or boiled taro and kumara.
Cook Islands cooking, Rarotonga.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Rarotonga. Rarotonga is the main Cook Island, where ika mata cures raw reef fish in citrus before drowning it in fresh coconut cream. Taro, breadfruit, and pork cooked in the umu earth oven fill the Sunday table after church.
🗺️
Cook Islands. The order matters in ika mata: the fish is cured in citrus first and only then dressed in coconut cream, because doing it the other way round leaves the fish raw under a coating. The traditional fish is maroro, the flying fish, caught at night by boats carrying bright lights, and the coconut cream is grated and squeezed fresh rather than opened from a tin.
🌍
Oceania. The twentieth century changed the Pacific plate faster than anything before it. White rice, tinned corned beef, mutton flaps, flour and sugar arrived by ship and are now entirely everyday, and the public health consequences are among the most closely studied anywhere. Alongside that, Australian and New Zealand kitchens have taken up Asian technique and Maori and Pasifika cooking in a way they had not before.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Cook Islands
Ika MataRaw fish cured in lime and bathed in fresh coconut cream with cucumber, tomato, and spring onion.
Cook Islands PokeCooked ripe banana bound with arrowroot and baked until translucent, drowned in thick coconut cream, eaten at breakfast, at teatime, or alongside the main meal.
Curried SausagesBrowned sausages simmered in a mild curry-and-coconut gravy over rice, a Rarotongan family lunch.
Browse all Cook Islands recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan.
Storing it: Stews and braises keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated and often taste better the next day. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.
Make it a Cook Islands meal
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Pawpaw PokeDessert
Rukau (Taro Leaves in Coconut Cream)Lunch
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Cuisine
Diet
Frequently asked questions
What is Eke Takare (Curried Octopus in Coconut Cream)?
Tender octopus simmered in a lightly curried coconut cream sauce, a Cook Islands seafood favourite served with rice or taro.
Where does Eke Takare (Curried Octopus in Coconut Cream) come from?
Eke Takare (Curried Octopus in Coconut Cream) is a Cook Islander dish from Rarotonga, Cook Islands.
Can Eke Takare (Curried Octopus in Coconut Cream) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Eke Takare (Curried Octopus in Coconut Cream) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Eke Takare (Curried Octopus in Coconut Cream) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Eke Takare (Curried Octopus in Coconut Cream) take to make?
About 95 minutes total (20 minutes prep, 75 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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