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Samoan · Pacific Island

Palusami

Vegetarian

Silky parcels of young taro leaves filled with seasoned coconut cream and onion, wrapped and baked until the leaves melt into a rich, spinach-like custard. A centrepiece of the Samoan umu.

Palusami is a Samoan side dish, ready in about 1 hour 40 minutes and made with taro leaves and coconut cream. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
25 min
Cook
1 h 15 min
Total
1 h 40 min
Serves
6
Level
Easy
Calories
261

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Mix the coconut cream (opens in a new tab) with the onion (opens in a new tab) and salt.

    • 3 min

  2. Step 2

    Stack 4 taro leaves (opens in a new tab), slightly overlapping, into a cupped hand to form a bowl. Pour in a sixth of the coconut mixture and fold the leaves over to enclose it.

    • 15 min

  3. Step 3

    Wrap each bundle tightly in a square of foil (or a breadfruit or banana leaf, then foil), seam up. Pack into a baking dish (opens in a new tab).

  4. Step 4

    Bake at 180 °C for 1–1¼ hours until the leaves are completely soft and dark green.

    Food safety: Taro leaves contain irritating calcium oxalate crystals and must be cooked thoroughly; an itchy throat means they need longer.

About this dish

Origin
Samoa · Well documentedSimilar dishes are made across the Pacific; palusami is the Samoan name.Also popular in New ZealandMore food from Samoa
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Side dishes
Cooking method
Oven-baked, Steamed
Taste
creamy, rich, earthy
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration
Cook more with
Taro leaves · Coconut cream · Onion
Techniques
Baking · 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

261 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 166 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 9%
  • Carbohydrate 16%
  • Fat 75%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy261 kcal157 kcal
Protein6.6 g4 g
Carbohydrate11.5 g6.9 g
Net carbohydrate6.8 g4.1 g
Sugars——
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre4.7 g2.9 g
Fat23.7 g14.3 g
Saturated fat20.6 g12.4 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium297 mg179 mg
Salt equivalent0.7 g0.4 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
762 mg
Calcium
97 mg
Iron
3.4 mg
Magnesium
57 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
193 µg
Vitamin C
45 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 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

  • With roast pork, chicken or fish and boiled taro.

Storage

  • Refrigerate up to 2 days.

Reheating

  • Reheat in the foil at 170 °C for 20 minutes.

Variations

  • Palusami with pisupo (Samoa): Corned beef added to the coconut filling.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

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

Used in step 2

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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