ʻUfi (Boiled Tongan Yam with Lolo Niu)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 6-quart pot with tight-fitting lid
• •Large colander
• •Small saucepan for warming lolo niu
• •Coconut scraper or fine grater with clean cloth, if squeezing fresh coconut cream

Instructions

1. 1

   Trim the ʻufi

   Scrub the ʻufi, the Tongan yam, and trim away the rough ends. Peel the thick skin in sturdy strips, then cut the flesh into big 2 to 3-inch chunks so the pieces cook evenly and still hold their shape. Rinse until the water runs mostly clear.

   Some ʻufi has a slippery sap that can bother the skin. If your hands are sensitive, use gloves, and cook the yam all the way through. Raw yam is not table food.
2. 2

   Cover with water

   Set the chunks in a heavy pot and add cold water to cover by about 1 inch. Add the sea salt. Some Tongan homes boil root crops plain and salt at the table, and that's fine too. The slow start helps the center and the outside arrive together.

   This is home cooking, not a church rule. Salt the water if you like the seasoning inside the yam, or leave it plain if that is how your family table does it.
3. 3

   Simmer, don't thrash

   Bring the pot to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower it to a steady simmer. Cook 25 to 35 minutes, depending on the yam, until a skewer slides through the center with only a little weight behind it. The cut faces should look floury and tender, not glassy, and the edges should just begin to feather. No blame the ʻufi if the outside breaks before the middle gives. You rushed it.

4. 4

   Drain and dry

   Lift the pieces into a colander, pour off the cooking water, then return the ʻufi to the warm empty pot. Cover with the lid slightly cracked and let it sit 5 to 10 minutes. That little rest is why it doesn't eat soggy: the last surface water leaves, and the yam sits dense, tender, and ready for coconut cream to cling.

5. 5

   Warm the lolo

   Warm the lolo niu, coconut cream, with a small pinch of salt over low heat until it turns smooth and glossy. Don't boil it hard. Coconut cream splits when bullied. If it is too thick to pour, loosen it with 1 or 2 tablespoons warm water.

   Fresh-squeezed lolo niu carries the soul of the western islands' food. A good thick can does the weeknight job, but if you can squeeze it fresh, do.
6. 6

   Serve family-style

   Lay the ʻufi family-style on banana leaf over a pola, the woven Tongan feast tray, or on a plain platter if that is what you have. Spoon lolo niu over the top or serve it in a coconut-shell cup alongside, with extra salt at the table. This belongs with lū sipi, fried fish, a pot of rice, sapasui, or corned beef. The old root and the everyday plate can sit together.

Chef Tips

• •Ask for true ʻufi at a Tongan or Pacific market, not the orange sweet potato some mainland stores call yam. A good piece feels heavy and hard, with dry skin and no sour smell or wet soft spots.
• •If the market only has taro, talo, kalo, or kūmara, cook that cousin and name it honestly. The table still gets fed, but don't call it Tongan ʻufi.
• •Fresh lolo niu carries the western islands' food in a way a can can't quite hold. Still, thick canned coconut cream is good weeknight food. Eat what you have.
• •Leftover boiled ʻufi is a blessing. Slice it and pan-fry in a little coconut oil until the edges go crisp, or warm it under lolo niu with leftover fish, corned beef, or lū sipi gravy.

Advance Preparation

• •Peel and cut the ʻufi up to 4 hours ahead; keep it submerged in cold water, then drain and rinse before boiling so it doesn't brown.
• •Boil the ʻufi up to 1 day ahead, keep the pieces whole, cool covered, refrigerate, and rewarm gently with a splash of water or lolo niu. Don't store it sitting in the cooking water.
• •Squeeze lolo niu the morning of, keep it cold, and stir before warming. Fresh coconut cream turns quickly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 230g)