Chef Makoa
Faraoa ʻIpo (Tahitian Coconut Dumplings)
Soft Tahitian ʻipo, coconut-milk dough rolled by hand and steamed until tender, born from the atoll table of the Tuamotu and carried now to Society Islands kitchens.
Culinary Explorer
A cooking platform built around craft, culture, and the stories behind what we eat.
Taro au Lait de Coco (Tahitian Taro in Coconut Milk)
Created by
Tahitian taro boiled soft, salted gently, and bathed warm in coconut milk until every piece shines. The fenua feeds first, the coconut finishes, and the bowl stays open.
Side Dishes
Polynesian, Tahitian
Comfort Food
Special Occasion
Celebration
20 min
Active Time
35 min cook•55 min total
Yield6 servings
The canoe carried the elder brother before it carried most of what people now call dinner. In Tahiti, the fenua, the land, gives taro in that old canoe-crop line, and this dish keeps it plain: boiled until the corm gives, then covered with coconut milk so the root drinks back richness from the tree beside it. One ocean, one canoe, one root.
I learned this kind of bowl by sitting quiet at other people's tables, which is the only smart thing for a Hawaiian man to do when the dish belongs to Tahiti. Back home I know Hāloa as our elder brother, and I know poi from the stone. In Tahiti the hand is different. The taro stays in pieces, soft and warm, and the coconut milk wraps it like kindness. Sāmoa has its faʻalifu talo, taro simmered with coconut cream. Tonga has talo with lolo. The Cooks, Hawaiʻi, Aotearoa, all of us keep the root close, but each island speaks it its own way.
So don't make this precious. Peel carefully, cook patiently, salt enough to wake the coconut, and serve it beside fish, roast pork, chicken, greens, or whatever your table already has. Eat what you have. The deep food can sit right next to the everyday plate, no shame in that. The respect is in knowing whose bowl this is, and in not rushing the taro when it is trying to come soft.
Taro is one of the core canoe crops carried by Polynesian voyagers across the Pacific, planted from the western islands through the Society Islands and onward to Hawaiʻi, Aotearoa, and Rapa Nui. In Tahiti and the wider Society Islands, taro with coconut milk sits in the deep-food line of maʻa Tahiti, Tahitian food, where root crops, breadfruit, fish, and coconut fed the people long before imported rice and tinned meats became everyday companions. Its close cousin, Sāmoan faʻalifu talo, shows the same old grammar in another island's hand: a cooked root finished with coconut, simple enough for Sunday and strong enough for ceremony.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
taro
Quantity
2 pounds
peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
sea salt
Quantity
1 tablespoon
plus more to taste
water
Quantity
enough to cover the taro
fresh coconut milk
Quantity
2 cups
or 1 can (13 to 14 ounces) full-fat coconut milk
thick coconut cream (optional)
Quantity
1/2 cup
pandanus leaf or banana leaf (optional)
Quantity
1 small leaf
for lining the serving bowl
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| taropeeled and cut into 2-inch chunks | 2 pounds |
| sea saltplus more to taste | 1 tablespoon |
| water | enough to cover the taro |
| fresh coconut milkor 1 can (13 to 14 ounces) full-fat coconut milk | 2 cups |
| thick coconut cream (optional) | 1/2 cup |
| pandanus leaf or banana leaf (optional)for lining the serving bowl | 1 small leaf |
Equipment Needed
- •Heavy 4-quart pot with lid
- •Small saucepan for warming coconut milk
- •Wooden spoon or broad silicone spatula for gentle folding
Instructions
- 1
Peel the taro
Trim the taro and peel away the rough skin, then cut the corm into big 2-inch chunks. If your hands itch from raw taro, rinse well and keep going, no drama. Raw taro has that bite in it. The full cook is what makes it gentle.
Wear gloves if raw taro irritates your skin. No shame. The old people used what kept the work moving too. - 2
Boil it tender
Put the taro in a heavy pot, cover with cool water by an inch, and add the tablespoon of sea salt. Bring it to a steady boil, then lower to a strong simmer and cook 25 to 35 minutes, until a fork slides through the center with no chalky core left. No blame the taro if it takes longer. Some roots are stubborn.
- 3
Warm the coconut
While the taro cooks, warm the coconut milk in a small pot over low heat. Do not boil it hard. You want it loose, fragrant, and glossy, with the fat gathered back into the milk. Stir in the coconut cream if you want a richer Sunday bowl.
- 4
Drain with care
Drain the taro gently so the pieces stay whole, then return them to the warm pot for one minute off the heat. Let the surface dry just a little. That way the coconut milk clings instead of sliding straight off.
- 5
Bathe the taro
Pour the warm coconut milk over the taro and fold once or twice, softly, until every piece has a pale coconut sheen. Taste the milk at the bottom of the pot. It should be gently salty, not sweet, because salt is what lets the coconut speak.
- 6
Serve it warm
Line a wooden bowl with pandanus or banana leaf if you have it, spoon in the taro, and pour the coconut milk left in the pot over the top. Serve warm, family-style, with grilled fish, oven pork, chicken, or greens. This is Tahiti's bowl. Keep it generous.
Chef Tips
- •Pick taro that feels heavy for its size, with firm flesh and no sour smell. If the cut end looks dry but clean, that's fine. Ugly food can still feed everybody.
- •Fresh coconut milk is best when the coconut is doing this much of the talking. Grate mature coconut, squeeze it with warm water, and use it the same day. A good full-fat can is honest weeknight cooking.
- •Do not undercook taro. It should never be crunchy or chalky in the middle. The root needs time to give up its bite and come soft.
- •This is a side dish, but not a small thing. Serve it with other Tahitian dishes when you can, or beside the food your kitchen actually has. Keeper, not gatekeeper.
Advance Preparation
- •Peel and cut the taro up to 2 hours ahead and keep it covered in cool water so it does not discolor.
- •Squeeze fresh coconut milk the morning you cook. Keep it chilled, stir it before warming, and do not hold it for days.
- •Leftovers keep 2 days refrigerated. Rewarm gently with a splash of water or coconut milk so the starch loosens without breaking apart.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 235g)
Calories
385 calories
Total Fat
22 g
Saturated Fat
19 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
3 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
300 mg
Total Carbohydrates
43 g
Dietary Fiber
6 g
Sugars
3 g
Protein
5 g
Where cooking meets culture.
Culinary guides, cultural storytelling, and the editorial depth that makes cooking meaningful.
Discover Culinary ExplorerMore from Maʻa Tahiti: The Sunday Table
Browse the full collection
Chef Makoa
Fēʻi (Tahitian Roasted Cooking Bananas)
Tahiti's fēʻi are orange-fleshed mountain bananas, cooked until tender and served like a starch, warm with sea salt, coconut cream, and the quiet sweetness of the high valleys.
Chef Makoa
Miti Hue (Tahitian Fermented Coconut Sauce)
Tahiti's sharp, funky coconut condiment, grated coco fermented with brine and shrimp until it smells of reef and feast, then spooned over fish, ʻuru, taro, and maʻa Tahiti.
Chef Makoa
Poʻe Mautini (Tahitian Pumpkin Pudding with Coconut Milk)
Deep-gold Tahitian poʻe mautini, orange squash mashed with starch and vanilla, baked until firm and tender, then cooled and spooned with fresh coconut milk at the table.