Recipe
🍰 DESSERT
Uht Sukusuk (Pounded Banana with Coconut Cream)
A Pohnpeian sweet of ripe bananas boiled and pounded to a smooth, sticky mass, crowned with a pour of fresh coconut cream.
Pohnpeian (Micronesia) · easy · serves 4
prep 10 min · cook 15 min
~527 cal · 5g protein · 91g carbs · 20g fat · 7g fiber · 44g sugars · 18g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
↓ Jump to Recipe
AI-generated illustration
Uht sukusuk is a Pohnpeian favorite from the Federated States of Micronesia, ripe bananas boiled soft and then pounded, the word sukusuk describing the pounding itself.
Cooks work the hot bananas on a board or in a bowl until they turn into a smooth, glossy, sticky mass, then squeeze thick fresh over the top rather than mixing it in.
On Pohnpei, where the capital Palikir sits, it is everyday sweet food, and outer-island cooks make close cousins with local banana varieties; simple, warm and comforting, it is the taste many Micronesians miss most from home.
Saved recipes and passport stamps are kept on this device. Sign in to keep them across your devices and leave reviews.
Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and 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
6 ripe cooking bananas or ripe
1 cup thick
a pinch salt
to taste (optional) sugar
Instructions
1
Boil the whole unpeeled bananas in water until very soft, about 15 minutes, then drain.
2
Peel the hot bananas and put the flesh into a sturdy bowl or onto a wooden board.
3
Pound the hot bananas with a pestle until they come together into a smooth, sticky, glossy mass, adding the salt and a little sugar if you like.
✎ Chef’s note
Pound while piping hot; the mass turns stiff and grainy once the bananas cool.
4
Shape the pounded banana onto a plate or banana leaf in a low mound.
5
Squeeze or pour the thick coconut cream generously over the top and serve warm.
Pohnpeian home cooking, College of Micronesia ethnobotany records.
Ratings & reviews
Cooked it? Rate this dish:
No account needed. Sign in to leave a full review with a comment.
Cooked it?
Kept on this device, no account needed. Sign in to leave a review and keep your passport across your devices.
No reviews yet, be the first to cook it.
🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Palikir. Sakau is Pohnpei's kava, pounded on a flat stone and squeezed through hibiscus bast, which gives it a distinctly slippery body rather than a thin one. Pohnpei is unusually wet and green for Micronesia, so breadfruit, taro and bananas grow easily and the reef supplies the rest.
🗺️
Micronesia. The Federated States of Micronesia cook close to the reef, fresh fish, taro, breadfruit, and coconut, often in an earth oven. Island root crops and the surrounding Pacific define the table.
🌍
Oceania. The staple crops here were carried on purpose. Lapita voyagers moving east from roughly three thousand years ago brought taro, yam, banana, breadfruit and coconut with them along with pigs and chickens, because most of the islands they settled had almost nothing edible growing on them. The earth oven travelled too, as umu, imu, hangi, lovo, mumu, motu and um.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Micronesia
Coconut Crab with TaroPrized coconut crab simmered in its own fat with coconut cream, served with steamed taro.
Grilled Reef Fish with RiceWhole reef fish grilled over coconut husks with lime and served over hot rice, a savory, protein-rich Micronesian morning plate.
Reef Fish with BreadfruitReef fish gently poached in coconut cream with ginger and lime, served over roasted breadfruit, the everyday midday plate of the Pohnpei coast.
Browse all Micronesia recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Mortar and pestle.
Storing it: Keeps 2 to 3 days refrigerated. Resteam or warm through gently to serve.
Make it a Micronesia meal
Kon (Chuukese Pounded Breadfruit)Dinner
SakauDrink
Similar dishes from around the world
Dia (Sago and Banana in Coconut Cream)Papua New Guinea
Thayacha (Andean Frozen Oca)Bolivia
DucanaAntigua and Barbuda
ConkiesBarbados
Khao TomLaos
Koba AkondroMadagascar
Cuisine
Diet
Vegetarian Recipes from Around the World
Vegan Recipes from Around the World
Gluten-Free Recipes from Around the World
Dairy-Free Recipes from Around the World
Egg-Free Recipes from Around the World
Pork-Free Recipes from Around the World
Vegan Desserts from Around the World
Vegetarian Desserts from Around the World
Gluten-Free Desserts from Around the World
Dairy-Free Desserts from Around the World
Egg-Free Desserts from Around the World
Frequently asked questions
What is Uht Sukusuk (Pounded Banana with Coconut Cream)?
A Pohnpeian sweet of ripe bananas boiled and pounded to a smooth, sticky mass, crowned with a pour of fresh coconut cream.
Where does Uht Sukusuk (Pounded Banana with Coconut Cream) come from?
Uht Sukusuk (Pounded Banana with Coconut Cream) is a Pohnpeian (Micronesia) dish from Palikir, Micronesia.
Can Uht Sukusuk (Pounded Banana with Coconut Cream) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Uht Sukusuk (Pounded Banana with 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 Uht Sukusuk (Pounded Banana with 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 Uht Sukusuk (Pounded Banana with Coconut Cream) take to make?
About 25 minutes total (10 minutes prep, 15 minutes cooking), serving 4.
Get the Sunday Spin
One dish from somewhere in the world, in your inbox every Sunday. No spam, just dinner inspiration you can cook that day.