Palusami (Samoan Coconut Taro Leaf Parcels)

Ingredients

• 20-24 fresh taro leaves (or frozen taro leaves, thawed), tough stems trimmed
• 2 cups thick coconut cream
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 can (340g) corned beef, flaked (optional)
• 1/2 tsp salt

Before you cook

• Rinse the taro leaves and pat them dry
• Trim the tough central stem from the base of each leaf
• Finely chop the onion
• Flake the corned beef with a fork, if using
• Stack 3 taro leaves on top of each other, largest on the bottom, in the center of a large square of foil, overlapping them into a shallow cup
• Repeat to lay out 4 foil squares with stacked leaves, one for each parcel

Steps

1. Spoon a portion of the chopped onion into the center of one leaf stack
2. Add a portion of the flaked corned beef on top of the onion, if using
3. Pour about 1/3 cup of coconut cream over the filling
4. Sprinkle with a pinch of the salt
5. Gather the edges of the taro leaves up and over the filling to enclose it completely into a parcel
6. Wrap the parcel tightly in its foil, twisting the ends to seal
7. Repeat with the remaining leaves, onion, corned beef, and coconut cream to make 4 parcels total
8. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F)
9. Place the foil parcels seam-side up on a baking tray
10. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until the leaves are completely tender and the coconut cream has thickened
11. Remove the parcels from the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes
12. Unwrap each parcel carefully and serve hot, spooning any coconut sauce back over the top