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Po'e
Tahitian baked banana pudding with coconut milk
Po'e is a Tahitian and wider Polynesian fruit pudding, made at home on Sundays across Tahiti and Mo'orea and sold at the Papeete market in thick slices wrapped in banana leaf. Ripe bananas (or papaya, pumpkin or taro) are puréed with sugar and a starch such as arrowroot, then baked until set into a glossy, jelly-like slab and served drenched in fresh coconut milk. A common mistake is pulling it from the oven too early; it should be firm and caramelised on top. Chef's tip: a vanilla pod from Taha'a-style vanilla is the island touch; split it and scrape the seeds in.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ lb very ripe bananaspeeled
- 3 ½ oz brown sugar
- 1 vanilla podsplit and scraped, or 2 tsp extract
- 1 ¾ cups coconut milkchilled, to serve
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 375°F (350°F fan) and line a 20 × 20 cm tin with baking paper or banana leaves.
5 minStep 2: Purée 2 ¼ lb very ripe bananas until smooth, then blend in 3 ½ oz brown sugar, 4 oz arrowroot or cornflour and 1 vanilla pod.
5 minStep 3: Pour into the tin and bake for 55–60 minutes until set, glossy and darker on top, and a knife comes out clean.
60 minStep 4: Cool, then chill until firm.
60 minStep 5: Cut into squares and serve with plenty of cold 1 ¾ cups coconut milk poured over.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 280 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does po'e take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 60 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 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 very ripe bananas?
- 120g (½ cup) apple sauce per banana (less banana flavour).
- What can I use instead of brown sugar?
- White sugar + 1 tbsp molasses or treacle per 200g.
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