Chef Makoa
Faikai Ika (Tuvaluan Baked Tuna in Coconut)
Tuvalu's faikai ika bakes fresh tuna in coconut cream until the fish flakes soft and drinks the nut in, lagoon catch and palm brought together on one low coral island plate.
Culinary Explorer
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Pulaka (Tuvaluan Boiled Swamp Taro)
Created by
Tuvaluan pulaka, giant swamp taro hauled from coral pits, boiled until its bite softens, then eaten with lolo, coconut cream, fish, or whatever the kaiga, the family, has that day.
Side Dishes
Polynesian, Tuvaluan
Comfort Food
Budget Friendly
30 min
Active Time
2 hr 30 min cook•3 hr total
Yield6 to 8 servings
The elder brother looks different when the land is only coral. In Tuvalu, pulaka, giant swamp taro, is not the little corm my hands pound into paʻiʻai, the thick hand-pounded stage before poi, back home in Hawaiʻi. This root is big and stubborn, hauled from pits dug down through coral to the fresh water under the island. The fenua, the island land, is thin. The ocean is close on every side. So when boiled pulaka lands on the pandanus mat with fish and lolo, coconut cream, that is not just a side dish. That is the kaiga, the family, feeding itself from ground it has fought to keep sweet.
Tokelau keeps its own pulaka pits too, its own elders and its own table, and I name that separate because no need smear the cousins together. Across the Triangle the root changes its face: Sāmoan talo, Tongan talo, Cook Islands taro, Hawaiian kalo, and this Tuvaluan pulaka from the coral-soil world. One ocean, one canoe, one root, but every island has its own hand.
The method is plain because the food is deep. Peel it, cut it heavy, boil it long. Raw or undercooked pulaka can bite the throat, so you give it time until the knife slides through and the center has no chalky fight left. No blame the taro. It is not the taro's fault if you rushed it.
I cook this one open-handed, because Tuvalu is not my home seat. For the family stories, the pit work, the old rules around whose pulaka gets lifted and when, go sit with Tuvaluan people and listen. In your kitchen, keep it honest: boiled pulaka, a little salt, coconut cream if you have it, fish if the sea gave it, corned beef and rice if that is what came off the barge this week. Eat what you have, but remember what feeds the island from its own ground.
On Tuvalu's low coral islands, pulaka (Cyrtosperma merkusii) is grown in pits dug through coral into the freshwater lens, a hard answer to land with almost no soil; Tokelau keeps its own pulaka pits too, with its own elders and table. As sea level rise and saltwater intrusion turn those pits saline, a food that once anchored kaiga, family, is pushed toward rice and tinned meat from the barge. The deep food line here is not nostalgia: boiled pulaka with fish and lolo, coconut cream, is food sovereignty in a place where the ocean is both larder and threat.
What Is Pulaka?
Pulaka is giant swamp taro, the staple root crop of Tuvalu, grown in pits dug down through coral rock to the fresh-water lens. Far larger and denser than common taro, it is boiled long until tender and served with lolo (coconut cream) or fish as the foundation of a Tuvaluan meal.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
fresh pulaka (giant swamp taro) corm
Quantity
4 pounds
scrubbed, or about 3 pounds peeled
water
Quantity
enough to cover by 2 inches
sea salt
Quantity
2 teaspoons
plus more to taste
fresh coconut cream (lolo)
Quantity
1 cup
or thick canned coconut cream
banana leaf or taro leaf (optional)
Quantity
for serving
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| fresh pulaka (giant swamp taro) cormscrubbed, or about 3 pounds peeled | 4 pounds |
| water | enough to cover by 2 inches |
| sea saltplus more to taste | 2 teaspoons |
| fresh coconut cream (lolo)or thick canned coconut cream | 1 cup |
| banana leaf or taro leaf (optional) | for serving |
Equipment Needed
- •Heavy 8-quart stockpot with lid
- •Food-safe gloves for handling raw pulaka
- •Long skewer for testing the center
Instructions
- 1
Scrub and peel
Scrub the pulaka clean under running water, then peel away the thick outer skin and any bruised or woody spots. If raw aroids make your hands itch, wear gloves. Pulaka is kin, but kin can still be sharp before the fire has done its work.
Fresh pulaka is not easy to find away from Tuvaluan and Tokelauan communities. If you use mature taro, malanga, or another root for the same boiled-root method, cook it with respect and name it honestly. It will not be Tuvaluan pulaka. - 2
Cut and rinse
Cut the peeled pulaka into heavy 2 to 3 inch chunks, keeping the pieces close in size so they soften together. Rinse them in cool water until the water is less cloudy, then set the chunks in the pot. They should feel dense in the hand, more like a stone from the pit than a quick vegetable.
- 3
Start the boil
Cover the pulaka with fresh water by about 2 inches and add the sea salt. Bring it to a strong boil, then lower to a steady simmer and cover the pot slightly ajar. Cook 2 to 2 1/2 hours, adding hot water if the level drops below the root. The smell should be earthy and clean, and the edges will begin to soften before the middle gives in.
- 4
Test the center
Push a skewer or thin knife into the thickest piece. It should slide through without hitting a chalky core, and a small taste should feel dense and tender, not scratchy in the throat. If it bites back, drain, cover with fresh water, and simmer another 20 to 30 minutes. No shortcuts here. The long cooking is what makes it safe and good.
Any scratchy feeling means keep cooking. Do not serve pulaka or taro-family roots underdone. - 5
Drain and settle
Drain off the cooking water and let the pulaka sit in the warm pot for 5 minutes so the surface dries a little. Taste and season with a little more salt if it wants it. Good boiled pulaka is not fluffy like potato. It is firm, creamy, and heavy, the kind of food that keeps a body working.
- 6
Finish with lolo
Warm the lolo, coconut cream, gently with a pinch of salt, just until glossy and pourable. Spoon it over the pulaka or serve it alongside so each person can take what they like. Lay the chunks on banana leaf or taro leaf if you have it, and put it on the table with fish, coconut, rice, or corned beef. Deep food and everyday food can sit together. That is how people actually eat.
Chef Tips
- •Sourcing first, always. If a Tuvaluan or Tokelauan grower can tell you where the pulaka came from, listen to that story before you ask what it costs. Food from its own ground carries more than starch.
- •Pulaka needs a full cook because the raw root can irritate the mouth and throat. Tender outside is not enough. Test the center, taste a little, and keep going if there is any scratch.
- •Fresh lolo, coconut cream, is best if you can press it from mature coconut. A good thick can does the weeknight job. Eat what you have, no need make it precious.
- •Kaleve, fresh coconut toddy tapped from the flower stem, belongs to the Tuvaluan table when the family has it. Coconut crab is taken few and rarely, where legal and pono, so do not make it the default. Fish and lolo are enough.
- •Corned beef and rice off the barge are part of the truth too. Food on a barge is the wound; feeding the island from its own ground is the repair. Both can sit in the same meal without shame.
- •Leftover pulaka keeps 3 days in the fridge. Warm it gently with a splash of water and lolo, or slice and pan-brown it until the edges go crisp and the middle stays dense.
Advance Preparation
- •Pulaka can be peeled and cut up to 12 hours ahead. Keep the chunks covered in cool water in the fridge, then drain and rinse before boiling.
- •Boil the pulaka earlier in the day and hold it covered. Rewarm gently with a little water, then finish with warm lolo right before serving.
- •Press fresh coconut cream the morning you cook. It separates and can sour if it sits too long.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 245g)
Calories
315 calories
Total Fat
12 g
Saturated Fat
11 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
1 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
685 mg
Total Carbohydrates
57 g
Dietary Fiber
9 g
Sugars
2 g
Protein
4 g
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