Laulau

Name: Laulau
Total time: 5 h 30 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Hawaiian
Ingredients: 1.3 kg boneless pork shoulder, cut into 6 large chunks; 300 g salted butterfish (or salted salmon), cut into 6 pieces; 2 tsp Hawaiian sea salt (or coarse sea salt); 36-40 fresh luau (taro) leaves, stems and thick center ribs removed; 12 fresh ti leaves, thick center rib shaved down; kitchen string or extra strips of ti leaf, for tying

by CommunityKitchen

HawaiianHard5 hr 30 minServes 6

Laulau is the bundle at the heart of a Hawaiian luau, chunks of pork and salted butterfish folded inside taro (luau) leaves and tied up in a ti-leaf parcel, then steamed for hours until the leaves collapse into a silky, spinach-like wrap and the pork falls apart, a slow build that also cooks out the taro leaf's natural sting.

Per
serving

480kcal

38gprotein

6gcarbs

33gfat

Ingredients

1.3 kg boneless pork shoulder, cut into 6 large chunks
300 g salted butterfish (or salted salmon), cut into 6 pieces
2 tsp Hawaiian sea salt (or coarse sea salt)
36-40 fresh luau (taro) leaves, stems and thick center ribs removed
12 fresh ti leaves, thick center rib shaved down
kitchen string or extra strips of ti leaf, for tying

Before you cook

Rinse the luau leaves and strip out the thick center vein and any tough stem from each leaf
Rinse the ti leaves and use a knife to shave down the thick center rib so each leaf folds without cracking
Rub the pork chunks all over with the Hawaiian salt
Rinse the salted butterfish briefly under cold water to remove surface salt

Steps

Lay 2 ti leaves on a work surface in a cross shape, shiny side down, to form the outer wrapper
Stack 5-6 luau leaves in the center of the ti leaves, overlapping them into one wide patch
Set one chunk of salted pork in the center of the luau leaves
Lay one piece of butterfish directly on top of the pork
Fold the luau leaves up and over the filling from all sides to fully enclose the meat
Fold the ti leaves up and over the luau-wrapped filling, tucking the ends underneath to seal the bundle
Tie the bundle firmly with kitchen string or a thin strip of ti leaf
Repeat with the remaining pork, fish and leaves to make 6 bundles in total
Set up a large steamer pot, or a big pot fitted with a rack, and fill the bottom with water below the rack level
Bring the water to a boil over high heat
Arrange the laulau bundles on the rack, stacking them if needed
Cover the pot tightly and steam over medium heat for 4 hours, checking every hour and topping up with boiling water so the pot never runs dry
After 4 hours, unwrap one test bundle and check that the leaves are fully dark, soft and tender with no sharp or bitter taste
If the leaves still taste sharp or fibrous, re-wrap that bundle and steam everything for up to 1 more hour
Lift the bundles out of the steamer and let them rest for 10 minutes before unwrapping
Discard the tough outer ti leaves and serve the pork, fish and cooked luau leaves together, spooned into a bowl

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