~865 cal · 43g protein · 80g carbs · 41g fat (estimated, per serving)
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Slices of dense swamp taro with coconut-baked fish
🇹🇻 Funafuti
Pulaka, a hardy swamp taro grown in dug pits, is the staple that has sustained Tuvalu's low atolls for centuries where little else will grow. Dense and earthy, it is boiled or baked and paired with fish cooked in coconut cream — a plain, vital meal shaped entirely by the sea and the pit garden.
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🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
Ingredients
Serves 4 —
•
2 lb pulaka or taro root, peeled
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1.5 lb fish fillets
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1.5 cups thick coconut cream
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1 onion, finely chopped
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1 lime
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to taste salt
Instructions
1
Boil or bake the pulaka (or taro) until tender, then slice.
2
Lay the fish (or hearts of palm and mushrooms) in a dish with the onion.
3
Pour over the coconut cream and season with salt.
4
Bake at 375°F for about 25 minutes until the fish is cooked and the coconut thickens.
5
Finish with lime and serve with the sliced pulaka.
Funafuti tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination
📍
Funafuti. A low atoll capital sustained by pulaka and fish.
🗺️
Tuvalu. Low-lying atolls sustained by pulaka and the sea.
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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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