Piele (Hawaiian Baked Taro-Coconut Pudding)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •8-inch square baking pan
• •Box grater or food processor with fine grating disk
• •Foil for tight covering
• •Gloves for handling raw kalo

Instructions

1. 1

   Warm the leaf

   Heat the oven to 325F. Rinse the ti leaves, lāʻī, and pass them briefly over a burner flame or dip them in hot water until they turn glossy and bend without cracking. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with the leaves, shiny side in, letting the edges hang over so they can fold back across the top.

   Ti leaf gives the Hawaiian smell, clean and green. Banana leaf works when that's what you can get, and no shame there.
2. 2

   Grate the kalo

   Peel the kalo and grate it fine, by hand on the small holes or in a food processor until it looks like wet, pale lavender shreds. Wear gloves if your skin is sensitive. Raw kalo can itch, and raw kalo does not get tasted. It needs the full cook to become food that loves you back.

3. 3

   Mix the pudding

   In a wide bowl, stir the coconut cream, sugar, water, and salt until the sugar loosens. Fold in the grated kalo with your hand or a sturdy spoon until every shred is coated and the mixture looks thick, wet, and a little sticky. It should mound softly, not pour like batter.

   If the kalo is very dry, add another splash of coconut cream or water. If it is watery, let it sit five minutes and stir again before you decide it needs fixing.
4. 4

   Wrap and cover

   Spoon the kalo mixture into the leaf-lined pan and press it level without packing it hard. Fold the ti leaves over the top, then cover the pan tightly with foil. The leaf keeps the pudding close and fragrant while the long heat turns the raw bite into a tender set.

5. 5

   Bake it slow

   Bake for 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours, until the piele is firm at the edges, softly set in the center, and a skewer pushed into the middle meets no raw crunch. The surface under the leaf should look glossy and deep grey-purple, with coconut fat shining at the edges. No rush this part. No blame the taro if you pulled it early.

6. 6

   Rest and serve

   Let the pan rest at least 30 minutes before cutting, or cool it fully for clean slices. Serve warm, room temperature, or chilled, laid back on the ti leaf with a spoonful of coconut cream if you like. This is not a fancy sweet. It is a kalo sweet. Dense, tender, quiet, and enough for one more.

Chef Tips

• •Use fresh kalo if you can. Look for heavy, firm corms with no sour smell and no soft wet spots. The ugly one may be the best one, so judge by weight and soundness, not beauty.
• •Frozen grated taro works for a weeknight piele. Thaw it fully, squeeze only if it is dripping wet, then mix it with the coconut cream. Keeper, not gatekeeper.
• •Fresh coconut cream is beautiful here, but a thick canned coconut cream does honest work. Shake it, open it, and use the heavy cream first.
• •Raw kalo and undercooked kalo can irritate the throat. Bake until the center is fully set and the texture is soft all the way through.
• •Leftover piele keeps well. Slice it, wrap it, and warm it gently in a covered pan, or eat it cold with coffee the next morning.

Advance Preparation

• •The piele can be baked one day ahead and cooled in its leaf wrap. Chill it covered, then bring it to room temperature or warm it gently before serving.
• •Do not grate fresh kalo too far ahead unless you keep it covered and cold. Once cut, it oxidizes and dries, and the pudding loses that tender set.
• •Ti leaves can be washed, ribbed, and softened earlier in the day, then wrapped in a damp towel until you line the pan.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 165g)