Best Samoan Foods
Panipopo is the national dish of Samoa, a unique dessert consisting of buns baked in a sweet and sticky coconut cream sauce. The buns are typically served in shallow bowls spooned over with more sauce, accompanied by a hot beverage on the side, preferably Samoan cocoa.
These treats can be consumed the following day by simply reheating them for a few minutes.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Kale moa is a Samoan dish that is characterized by a balance of spicy, savory, and sweet flavors. This light chicken curry is made with chicken pieces, coconut milk, flour, water, oil, spices such as curry powder, ginger, garlic, and onions, along with vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, and celery.
When the curry develops the desired thickness, it is recommended to serve it with fluffy white rice.
Keke pua'a are Samoan versions of bao steamed buns, filled with a combination of pork, garlic, soy sauce, and onions, although they can be filled with basically any combination of meat and other ingredients. The tender dough is made with flour, sugar, salt, eggs, butter, milk, water, and yeast.
It is then filled and steamed or baked. When translated, the name keke pua'a means pork cake, referring to the most common filling in Samoa.
Although it looks like a side dish, in Samoan cuisine, coconut rice is usually served as a savory snack. It is made with rice, water, coconut milk, and salt. The dish should be served hot or warm, at room temperature. It is recommended to pair coconut rice with a strong cup of coffee or a cup of Samoan cocoa.
Sapasui or Samoan chop suey is a Chinese import that has, over time, become a Samoan staple with numerous variations. Inexpensive, delicious, and easy to prepare, the dish consists of vermicelli noodles, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, and meats such as chicken, beef, or pork.
Fresh vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, or cabbage can also be added to the dish. It is recommended to serve sapasui with taro, green bananas, or white rice on the side.
Oka popo is a Samoan dish made with coconut milk, fresh fish, and vegetables such as cucumber, tomatoes, and onions. The ingredients are mixed with lime or lemon juice, salt and pepper, and freshly chopped coriander. This concoction is then placed in the fridge because it is traditionally served well-chilled.
Koko araisa is a Samoan dessert consisting of rice, coconut milk, sugar, and cocoa powder. All of the ingredients are combined and boiled, and the final result should resemble a thick, dark-colored soup. Consumed either hot or chilled, cocoa rice is traditionally served for breakfast and is one of the children's favorites.
Additionally, laumoli orange tree leaf can be added to the dish while it is cooking in order to bring more flavor, but it is not edible, so it should be taken out before serving.
Keke fa'i is the perfect way to use leftover, overripe bananas. This Samoan cake is made with flour, baking powder, butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, milk, and mashed bananas. Once the cake is baked, it should be left to cool off, and then it could be filled with whipped cream or topped with a chocolate frosting, depending on personal preferences.
Fa'aifu is a staple Samoan sauce that is mostly used for dressing up fruits such as breadfruit and green bananas or starchy roots such as taro, yams, potatoes, cassava, and sweet potatoes. The sauce consists of coconut milk, a bit of salt, and chopped onions.
The concoction is then boiled and poured over the aforementioned ingredients that can be consumed as a flavorful appetizer or a snack.
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