~480 cal · 7g protein · 69g carbs · 24g fat (estimated, per serving)
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Bowl of chocolate-brown Samoan cocoa rice
🇼🇸 Upolu
Koko alaisa is a Samoan breakfast and comfort food made from koko Samoa — sun-dried, roasted, and ground local cacao — cooked down with rice, coconut, and sugar. Scented with orange peel or vanilla, it is thick, warming, and deeply chocolatey, eaten from bowls on a slow island morning.
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Make it yours
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
Ingredients
Serves 4 —
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1 cup short-grain rice
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1/3 cup local cocoa (koko Samoa) or cocoa powder
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1.5 cups coconut milk
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3 cups water
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1/3 cup sugar
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1 strip orange peel
Instructions
1
Rinse the rice, then simmer it with the water and orange peel until nearly tender, about 12 minutes.
2
Whisk the cocoa with a little hot water to a smooth paste and stir it into the rice.
3
Pour in the coconut milk and sugar and simmer, stirring, until thick and creamy, about 10 minutes.
4
Discard the orange peel and serve the koko alaisa warm, loosening with coconut milk if it sets thick.
Samoan home breakfast, Upolu.
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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination
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Upolu. The island of Apia, where every feast starts at the umu.
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Samoa. Polynesian kitchens ruled by taro, coconut, and the umu earth oven.
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Oceania. Island kitchens where coconut and the sea rule.
The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.
👩🍳
Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker
Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →
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