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Fa'alifu fa'i
Samoan green bananas in rich coconut cream
Fa'alifu fa'i is one of the everyday staples of Samoa, cooked in family kitchens in Apia and the villages of Savai'i to go with fish, chicken or a Sunday umu. Green cooking bananas are boiled until soft, then finished in a rich, salty-sweet coconut cream sauce with onion, so they turn silky and soak up the flavour. A common mistake is using ripe bananas, which fall apart; they must be hard and green. Chef's tip: oil your hands before peeling green bananas so the sticky sap doesn't stain your fingers.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 8 green cooking bananaspeeled and halved
- 6 ¼ cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ¾ cups coconut cream
- 1 onionfinely sliced
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Method
0/3 doneStep 1: Oil your hands, then peel the 8 green cooking bananas: cut off the ends, slit the skin lengthways and lift it away. Halve them.
5 minStep 2: Boil in 6 ¼ cups water with half the ½ tsp salt for 12–15 minutes until tender when pierced. Drain.
15 minStep 3: In the same pan, warm 1 ¾ cups coconut cream with 1 onion and the rest of the ½ tsp salt for 3–4 minutes until the onion softens. Add the bananas and simmer gently for 2 minutes, turning to coat. Serve hot.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does fa'alifu fa'i take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of green cooking bananas?
- Mango, same weight (in smoothies and shakes).
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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