Oven mumu

Name: Oven mumu
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 3 h
Total time: 3 h 35 min
Ingredients: 1 kg pork shoulder, in large chunks; 1½ tsp salt; 600 g sweet potato, peeled, in chunks; 400 g taro, peeled, in chunks; 2 plantains, green, peeled, in chunks; 300 g spinach, washed, thick stems removed; 15 g fresh ginger, sliced; 400 ml coconut cream

Non-vegetarian

Mumu

A home-oven version of Papua New Guinea's mumu: pork, sweet potato, taro, plantain and greens layered with coconut cream, wrapped tightly and slow-steamed until everything is soft and fragrant.

Oven mumu is a Papua New Guinean main course, ready in about 3 hours 35 minutes and made with pork shoulder, sweet potato and coconut cream. It serves 8 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking

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Prep: 25 min
Cook: 3 h
Rest: 10 min
Total: 3 h 35 min
Serves: 8
Level: Easy
Calories: 646

Ingredients

8 servings

1 kg Pork shoulder (opens in a new tab), in large chunks
1½ tsp (9 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)
600 g Sweet potato (opens in a new tab), peeled, in chunksKaukau.
400 g Taro (opens in a new tab), peeled, in chunks
2 (360 g) Plantains (opens in a new tab), green, peeled, in chunks
300 g Spinach (opens in a new tab), washed, thick stems removedStands in for aibika or other local greens.
15 g Fresh ginger (opens in a new tab), sliced
400 ml Coconut cream (opens in a new tab)

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Season the pork with the salt. Line a large lidded casserole with banana leaves if you have them (or baking paper).
- 5 min
- Dutch oven / casserole pot (opens in a new tab)
2
Step 2
Layer the pork on the bottom, then the sweet potato (opens in a new tab), taro (opens in a new tab) and plantain (opens in a new tab), and the ginger. Pour over the coconut cream (opens in a new tab) and finish with the greens on top.
- 15 min
Food safety: Taro must be thoroughly cooked; raw taro irritates the mouth and throat.
3
Step 3
Cover with more leaves or foil and a tight lid. Cook at 160 °C for about 3 hours until the pork is falling apart.
- 180 min
- 160°C
- Oven (opens in a new tab)
4
Step 4
Rest 10 minutes and serve straight from the pot with the coconut juices.
- 2 min

About this dish

Origin: Papua New Guinea · Well documentedThe mumu is a traditional earth oven of hot stones, used for feasts especially in the Highlands. This oven version is a modern adaptation.More food from Papua New Guinea
Dish: Lunch · Dinner · Main courses
Cooking method: Steamed, Slow-cooked
Taste: savoury, creamy, mild, earthy
Diet: No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labels
Non-vegetarian · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Beef-free · High-protein
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Festive & celebration · One-pot · Batch cooking
Cook more with: Pork shoulder · Sweet potato · Coconut cream · Taro · Plantain · Spinach
Techniques: Steaming

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

646 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 386 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

Protein 16%
Carbohydrate 29%
Fat 55%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	646 kcal	167 kcal
Protein	26.9 g	7 g
Carbohydrate	47.7 g	12.4 g
Net carbohydrate	40.7 g	10.5 g
Sugars	—	—
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	7 g	1.8 g
Fat	40.3 g	10.4 g
Saturated fat	23.2 g	6 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	89 mg	23 mg
Sodium	599 mg	155 mg
Salt equivalent	1.5 g	0.4 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 1525 mg
Calcium: 107 mg
Iron: 4.5 mg
Magnesium: 118 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 737 µg
Vitamin C: 25 mg
Vitamin D: 2.1 µg
Vitamin B12: 0.9 µg
Folate (DFE): 120 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Serve with

Serve as a feast with greens and fresh fruit.

Food safety

Cook until the pork falls apart (well above 71 °C) and the taro is completely soft.
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 3 days.

Reheating

Reheat covered at 170 °C until piping hot.

Variations

Chicken mumu (Papua New Guinea): Made with whole chicken pieces instead of pork.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 27 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

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Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Pork shoulder, in large chunks1 kg · 1000 g
Sweet potato, peeled, in chunks600 g
Taro, peeled, in chunks400 g
Plantain, green, peeled, in chunks2 piece · 360 g
Spinach, washed, thick stems removed300 g

Used in steps 1, 2

Reviews & corrections

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