Kau Kau Bake

Gluten free - grain free - dairy free - refined sugar free - egg free - nut free - vegan
    In 2013 we hosted my best friend from high school and her family- her husband, kids, parents and brother.  They had just been on a pilgrimage from the USA back to the place of our childhood- Papua New Guinea (or Nuigini, as it's called in the National language, Tok Pisin), 20 years after leaving.  I spent 8 years of my childhood in ' The Land of the Unexpected' and hadn't been back since.  It was quite a nostalgic week as we viewed photos taken of the place that was once my home- so familiar and changed at the same time.  We shared stories of memories past and created new memories for the future. 

1993

2013

One of my fondest food memories in Nuigini is the kau kau (the Tok Pisin word for sweet potato- pronounced cow-cow).  It is possibly the most commonly grown vegetable and is still my favourite vegetable to this day.  My parents lived in a small village- the only non-national people for miles.  On special occasions the villagers cooked a Mumu - a meal in a ground oven. 

In a deep hole lined with banana leaves, they would place hot rocks that had been sitting in the coals of an open fire, more layers of banana leaves, then layers of root vegetables (including kau kau) and corn.  If it was a really special occasion, a freshly slaughtered chicken or two, or even a pig would be added.  (The sound of a pig squeal in it's final moments is not something you easily forget).  This would all be topped with some garden greens, more hot rocks and buried under banana leaves and dirt for a few hours.  The result was beautiful tender, smokey-flavoured food, which the National people took great pride in serving to us.

This humble dish that I have developed is really nothing at all like Mumu kau kau, but it hits the spot nonetheless.  It has a lovely thick creaminess from coconut cream, and as coconuts are also in plentiful supply in Nuigini, I felt it appropriate! 
    I really like serving this with some fish crumbed in dukkah and pan fried in coconut oil, with a pile of steamed broccoli or green beans.  It also makes a nice alternative to mashed potatoes, to serve alongside steak or sausages.

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Serves 4-6 people as a side dish.
Ingredients

• 800g- 1kg kau kau (orange sweet potato)
• 1 large or 2 small brown onions, finely diced
• 2 cm knob of ginger, peeled and finely chopped or grated
• 8 cloves garlic (or less if you're not as big a fan of garlic as I am), finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons smokey paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder (optional)
• 10 -12 big grinds each of fresh sea salt and pepper
• 270g tin of coconut cream (try to use a brand like AYAM or Honest to Goodness that has no additives, no water, and is super thick.  If you use a brand that has water added, buy a larger sized tin- like 400g- and leave it in the fridge for a couple of hours before using.  DO NOT SHAKE IT,  and pour off the liquid and only use the cream.)
  
• optional- grated cheese of choice for topping

Method

• Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius.
• Cut the kau kau into rounds about 1/2 cm thick.  I don't peel mine, as I like to keep all the nutrients from the skin, but I make sure it's well cleaned. 
• In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the kau kau and cheese.  Mix really well to combine, until there are no big lumps of coconut cream.
• In a square baking dish, about 20 x20 cm or 8 x 8 inches (I use a Pyrex glass dish), smear a large spoonful of the cream mixture over the bottom.  Lay a rough layer of kau kau rounds on the base, smear with some more cream, and keep layering until the kau kau and cream is used.  Make sure you end with a layer of cream.
• Top with grated cheese if desired. 
• Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour 15 minutes, until soft throughout and cheese is deep golden.