Lau lau, translated as "leaf leaf," refers to a traditional cooking method native to Hawaii as well as the dish. It combines chunks of fatty meat with a piece of salted fish wrapped in taro leaves, tied in a ti leaf packet, and steamed in an imu, or underground oven. It also can be prepared in a pressure cooker, rice cooker, or baked in a conventional oven. Pork is most commonly used along with butterfish also known as cod.
Recipe Servings: 6
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
4 hours
Total Time
4 hours 30 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Ingredients
Directions
- Wash ti leaves and remove any tough stems. Reserve stems for tying up leaf parcels.
- Cut pork into six pieces and rub each with salt.
- Slice fish into six pieces.
- Fill a steamer with water and begin to heat it over low heat.
- Divide taro leaves into six neat stacks, with leaves pointing in different directions.
- Set one piece of pork on each stack of leaves. Cover it with a piece of salt fish.
- Roll each stack into a neat bundle. Roll each stack up in a ti leaf, then turn 90 degrees and roll in another leaf to create a fully enclosed packet. Secure by tying with a stem or kitchen string.
- Place tied bundles in steamer. Steam over low heat for 4 hours, adding more water as needed.
- Serve hot, with the parcel intact, allowing diners to open their own lau lau at the table.
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