Chef Makoa
Carpaccio de Atún Kahi (Rapa Nui Tuna Carpaccio)
Rapa Nui's kahi, tuna from the far eastern corner of the Triangle, sliced thin and dressed with lemon, olive oil, and capers. Same ocean fish, this island's modern bowl.
Culinary Explorer
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Uhi (Rapa Nui White Yam, Boiled or Roasted)
Created by
Rapa Nui uhi, the old white yam of the far eastern corner, boiled tender, roasted at the edges, and finished simply with coconut, salt, and lime.
Side Dishes
Polynesian, Rapa Nui
Comfort Food
Weeknight
Budget Friendly
15 min
Active Time
45 min cook•1 hr total
Yield4 to 6 servings
At the far corner of the Triangle, Rapa Nui keeps its own old roots in hard volcanic ground. This uhi, the white-fleshed yam, belongs there, to the Rapa Nui people and their island, not to some blurred plate called Polynesian. One ocean, one canoe, one root, yes, but every cousin has their own hand.
I learned to listen for that first. Back home my hands know kalo, Hāloa, our elder brother. In Sāmoa and Tonga the talo sits deep in the family table, in the Cooks and Tahiti the taro and ʻuru carry the same old weight, and on Rapa Nui the uhi and kumara held people close to a small island with no extra land to waste. Different roots. Same kuleana, the responsibility to feed people from the ground that knows them.
This way is weeknight real: boil the uhi until it gives, then roast it hard enough to put color on the edges. No need make it precious. If you have coconut cream, let it shine over the top. If you only have salt and a lime, that's still a good bowl. The old foods were never about showing off. They were about enough.
For the deep Rapa Nui parts, the umu pae, the stone earth oven, the feasts, the old stories held by families there, I cook open-handed and send you to Rapa Nui elders. They should tell their own story. I can only keep the table wide and remind you to treat the uhi like a relative, not a side dish.
Rapa Nui sits at the eastern point of the Polynesian Triangle, where voyagers carried canoe crops into a small, isolated island ecology and made every root count. Uhi, a white-fleshed yam, stood beside kumara, sweet potato, as an old staple crop, grown in stone-protected gardens where wind, salt, and thin volcanic soil shaped the food system. The same deep-food pattern runs across the Triangle, from Hawaiian kalo and ʻulu to Sāmoan talo and Cook Islands taro, but Rapa Nui's far-corner table has its own names, pressures, and keepers.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
uhi (white yam), or firm white yam such as Dioscorea alata
Quantity
2 pounds
scrubbed and peeled
sea salt
Quantity
1 tablespoon
for the cooking water
coconut oil, or neutral oil
Quantity
2 tablespoons
fine sea salt
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
plus more to taste
thick coconut cream (optional)
Quantity
1/4 cup
lime
Quantity
1
cut into wedges
toasted grated coconut (optional)
Quantity
2 tablespoons
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| uhi (white yam), or firm white yam such as Dioscorea alatascrubbed and peeled | 2 pounds |
| sea saltfor the cooking water | 1 tablespoon |
| coconut oil, or neutral oil | 2 tablespoons |
| fine sea saltplus more to taste | 1/2 teaspoon |
| thick coconut cream (optional) | 1/4 cup |
| limecut into wedges | 1 |
| toasted grated coconut (optional) | 2 tablespoons |
Equipment Needed
- •Heavy 4-quart pot
- •Rimmed sheet pan
- •Carved wooden bowl or banana leaf-lined platter
Instructions
- 1
Cut the uhi
Peel the uhi and cut it into big two-inch chunks, the kind that still feel like food from the ground and not little dice for a fancy plate. If your yam has any dry, woody ends, trim them away. Good uhi should feel firm and heavy, with white flesh that cooks creamy without falling apart.
- 2
Boil until tender
Put the uhi in a pot, cover with cold water by an inch, and add the tablespoon of sea salt. Bring it up gently, then simmer 20 to 30 minutes, until a knife slides through the center without a fight. Don't boil it angry. Let the root soften slow, so the middle catches up with the outside.
Some yams need more time than others. No blame the uhi. If the center is still tight, give it another few minutes. - 3
Dry the surface
Drain the uhi well and let it sit in the warm pot for five minutes so the surface dries. This little pause matters. Wet yam turns slick and tired in the pan; dry yam takes the coconut oil and browns at the edges.
- 4
Roast for color
Heat the oven to 425F. Toss the cooked uhi with coconut oil and the fine sea salt, then spread it on a sheet pan with space between the pieces. Roast 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until the edges go golden and lightly crisp and the centers stay soft and white.
- 5
Finish and share
Pile the uhi into a wooden bowl or onto a banana leaf. Spoon over a little thick coconut cream if you're using it, scatter toasted coconut if that feels right for your table, and serve lime wedges alongside. The finish should be simple: salt, fat, a little brightness. Eat what you have, and leave room for one more hand at the bowl.
Chef Tips
- •True Rapa Nui uhi may be hard to find away from the island. Use a firm white yam, not a sugary orange sweet potato, and cook it with respect for what it is standing in for.
- •Sourcing first, always. Choose yams that feel heavy for their size, with tight skin and no sour smell. Food grown well already has half the work done.
- •You can stop after boiling and eat the uhi plain with salt. The roasting step is for a modern kitchen, giving the edges color when you don't have an umu pae.
- •Leftovers are good food. Slice them and pan-fry with eggs, tuck beside grilled fish, or eat with rice and tinned fish on a busy night. Keeper, not gatekeeper.
Advance Preparation
- •Boil the uhi up to one day ahead, cool it uncovered until dry, then refrigerate. Roast from chilled, adding 5 to 10 minutes so the centers warm through.
- •Toast the grated coconut up to three days ahead and keep it sealed at room temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 180g)
Calories
315 calories
Total Fat
11 g
Saturated Fat
10 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
1 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
400 mg
Total Carbohydrates
52 g
Dietary Fiber
8 g
Sugars
2 g
Protein
3 g
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