Ragoût de ʻUru Puaʻatoro (Tahitian Breadfruit and Corned Beef Stew)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 5-quart Dutch oven or deep lidded pot
• •Sturdy chef's knife lightly oiled for cutting breadfruit
• •Wooden spoon for gentle folding

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the ʻuru

   Oil your knife lightly, then peel the ʻuru, breadfruit, cut away the core, and chunk the flesh into pieces about an inch and a half wide. If the fruit is very sticky with sap, wipe the blade as you go. The pieces should be firm enough to hold in the pot but mature enough to smell faintly sweet and green.

   Choose firm-ripe ʻuru for this, not soft dessert-ripe fruit. If you can only find frozen breadfruit, use it straight from thawed and shorten the simmer a little.
2. 2

   Wake the pot

   Set a heavy pot over medium heat and warm the oil. Add the onion with a small pinch of salt and cook until it softens and turns glossy at the edges, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and curry powder for about 30 seconds, just until the curry smells round and warm, not burnt.

3. 3

   Soften the tomato

   Add the tomatoes and cook them down until they slump into the onion and the oil stains orange. If you're using carrot, add it now. This is the little French-Tahitian doorway in the pot, ragoût by name, island supper by hand.

4. 4

   Simmer the ʻuru

   Add the ʻuru chunks, 1 cup water or light stock, the coconut milk, black pepper, and about half the salt. Stir gently, cover, and simmer at a quiet bubble for 18 to 25 minutes, until a knife slides into the breadfruit with only a little resistance. No boil it hard. The ʻuru should drink the sauce, not break apart into paste.

   Breadfruit varies. Young, firm ʻuru takes longer and stays drier; mature ʻuru softens faster and tastes sweeter. Watch the pot, not the clock.
5. 5

   Fold in puaʻatoro

   Break the puaʻatoro, the corned beef, into rough chunks and fold it through the pot. Simmer uncovered 8 to 10 minutes more, until the meat loosens into the sauce but still leaves some generous pieces. Taste before adding more salt, because the tin already brought plenty.

6. 6

   Finish and share

   When the sauce coats the ʻuru in a coconut-curry sheen and the corners of the breadfruit are just rounding off, turn off the heat and rest the pot 5 minutes. Finish with green onion and lime at the table. Serve as it is, or over rice if that's how the family wants it. Enough for one more, always.

Chef Tips

• •Sourcing first. A good ʻuru should feel heavy for its size and smell clean, green, and faintly sweet. If it's hard and sappy, give it more time in the pot; if it's soft and fragrant, cook it gently so it doesn't collapse.
• •Canned coconut milk is fine here. Fresh is beautiful, but this is Tahiti's everyday pantry food, and the tin has its own truth in this dish.
• •Puaʻatoro is salty. Add only part of the salt early, then taste after the corned beef has warmed through. No blame the ʻuru if the cook salted twice.
• •Leftovers thicken as the breadfruit drinks the sauce. Loosen with a splash of water or coconut milk and warm it low, stirring gently so the chunks stay whole.
• •If breadfruit is out of reach, use firm taro or green banana and name the swap honestly. It won't be the same dish, but it will still feed people well.

Advance Preparation

• •Peel and chunk the ʻuru up to 4 hours ahead, then keep it covered in cool water with a squeeze of lime so it doesn't darken.
• •The stew can be cooked a day ahead and refrigerated. Reheat gently with a little water or coconut milk, because the ʻuru will keep drinking the sauce overnight.
• •Slice the onion, mince the garlic, and measure the curry in the morning if this is a weeknight pot. Then supper comes together fast.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 360g)