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Mumu-style pork roast
Papua New Guinea's earth-oven pork with kaukau and greens, done in the oven
A mumu is the earth oven of the Papua New Guinea highlands, around Mount Hagen and Goroka, made for feasts, bride-price ceremonies and Christmas: pork, kaukau (sweet potato), bananas and greens are wrapped in banana leaves and steamed over hot stones for hours. This dish contains pork. This home version packs the same ingredients, with coconut milk, into a covered roasting tin and cooks them slowly until the pork is soft. The mistake is cooking the pork fast and hot; it needs long, gentle heat to become tender. Chef's tip: add the greens only for the last 30 minutes so they stay bright.
- Total time
- 210 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Rub 3 ⅓ lb pork shoulder with 2 tsp salt, 1 oz fresh ginger and 4 garlic cloves. Chill for 1 hour.
60 minStep 2: Heat the oven to 325°F. Put the pork in a deep roasting tin, pour over 1 ¾ cups coconut milk, cover tightly with foil and roast for 1 hour 45 minutes.
105 minStep 3: Add 2 ¼ lb sweet potato (kaukau) and 2 green plantains or cooking bananas around the pork, baste with the juices, re-cover and roast for 45 minutes more.
45 minStep 4: Add 10 ½ oz pumpkin leaves, spinach or kale and 4 spring onions, re-cover and cook for 30 minutes, until the greens are tender and the pork pulls apart easily (it will be well above the safe 145°F).
30 minStep 5: Rest 10 minutes and serve the pork, vegetables and coconut juices together.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 30 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does mumu-style pork roast take?
- About 210 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 180 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- 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 fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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