Palusami

Palusami - baked parcels of taro leaves enclosing a coconut cream, onion and some type of meat or seafood filling.  Taro leaves contain calcium oxalate and some varieties possess a considerable "bite", particularly the tips.  If local knowledge is not available then you will need to experiment, but most of this "bite" is removed by cooking.  Choose leaves with green or pink (not brown or purple) stalks.

 Ingredients

1 pound fish fillets, diced into bite-sized pieces, or shelled prawns

3 coconuts

1 medium onion, chopped

1 bundle taro leaves, about 30 leaves

2 firm, clean, banana leaves

6-7 breadfruit leaves

Method

1. Grate the flesh from the coconuts.  Using fine cheesecloth , squeeze out the coconut cream.
2. If you can’t get coconuts then buy 2 or 3 cans of coconut cream.
3. Hold each banana leaf over a flame to soften it.  Carefully remove the back of the midrib from the banana leaves, taking care not to tear the leaves.  Divide each banana leaf into 4 pieces.  If you don't have any banana trees close at hand, then aluminum cooking foil will do, but it doesn't quite lend the same flavor to the palusami.
4. Take 4-6 washed fresh taro leaves and shape them into a cup in the palm of your hand, with the largest on the outside.
5. Into the center put 1-2 teaspoons chopped onion and about one cup of coconut cream, plus a couple of tablespoons of fish or prawns and a sprinkle of salt.
6. Fold the leaves carefully without spilling the cream.
7. Wrap each taro leaf bundle in a piece of softened banana leaf, then wrap again with a breadfruit leaf.
8. Secure firmly by tucking the stem underneath the leaf.
9. If you don't have breadfruit leaves then this step can be omitted.  Just wrap the parcels in aluminum foil, but moisten the outside of the leaves so they don't stick to the foil during cooking.
10. Cook the parcels in an earth oven for 3 hours, or bake in a moderate oven (300 degrees F) for 1 hour