Chef Makoa
Fāfā (Tahitian Taro Leaves in Coconut Cream)
Tahiti's fāfā cooks young taro leaves down with onion and coconut cream until they turn dark, silky, and rich enough to feed the whole table.
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Gratin de ʻUru (Tahitian Breadfruit Gratin)
Created by
Tender slices of Tahitian ʻuru, breadfruit, baked in coconut milk until the edges go gold, with just enough cheese from the French island pantry to brown the top.
Side Dishes
Polynesian, Tahitian
Comfort Food
Dinner Party
Special Occasion
25 min
Active Time
1 hr cook•1 hr 25 min total
Yield6 to 8 servings
The canoe brought this relative long before it ever met the colonial-era oven. In Tahiti, ʻuru, breadfruit, stands in the fenua, the land, with that big generous shadow and those heavy green globes that can feed a family when the tree is ready. The cousins know it by their own tongues: ʻulu in Hawaiʻi and Sāmoa, kuru in the Cook Islands, mei in Tonga and the Marquesas. Same canoe crop. Same hunger answered. Different island hand.
Gratin de ʻuru belongs to Tahiti, and it tells the truth of a living table: old canoe starch, coconut milk, and the browned top from the French island pantry. The first time a Tahitian auntie set it down for me, she didn't make one speech about history. She just slid the pan beside grilled fish, salad, and a bowl of ʻia ota, then gave me the look that says eat first, talk after. Every island has that auntie.
The cooking is humble, but it asks you to pay attention. Choose firm mature ʻuru, cook it until it gives but still holds its shape, then let the coconut milk settle into the slices while the top browns. If you use canned coconut milk and supermarket cheese, no shame. Eat what you have. Just don't forget which part is elder: the breadfruit came first, the oven came later.
Because this is Tahiti's, I hold it open-handed. For the deeper parts of maʻa Tahiti, Tahitian food, and the families who still know each tree by its fruiting, go sit with Tahitian elders and cooks from that fenua. Here we keep the relationship straight: kin first, pantry second, dinner enough for one more.
ʻUru was one of the canoe crops carried by Polynesian voyagers into eastern Polynesia before European contact, planted from cuttings so the same living stock could feed new islands; its cousins are ʻulu in Hawaiʻi and Sāmoa, kuru in the Cook Islands, and mei in Tonga and the Marquesas. Gratin de ʻuru belongs to modern Tahiti, where the older maʻa Tahiti, Tahitian food, met the French colonial oven, dairy, and browned gratin top. The useful line is not old good and new bad: the breadfruit is deep food, the gratin form is newer, and the dish shows an island table still feeding itself in the present tense.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
mature ʻuru (breadfruit)
Quantity
1 large (3 to 4 pounds)
firm and starchy, or 2 1/2 pounds cooked frozen breadfruit
fine sea salt
Quantity
1 1/2 teaspoons
plus more for the cooking water
coconut oil or unsalted butter
Quantity
1 tablespoon
plus more for the dish
yellow onion
Quantity
1 small
finely chopped
garlic
Quantity
2 cloves
minced
full-fat coconut milk
Quantity
2 cups
fresh-pressed or canned
coconut cream
Quantity
1/2 cup
freshly grated nutmeg
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
fresh thyme leaves (optional)
Quantity
1 teaspoon
Emmental, Gruyère, or mild melting cheese
Quantity
1 cup
grated and divided
coarse fresh bread crumbs from day-old baguette (optional)
Quantity
1/3 cup
green onion
Quantity
2 tablespoons
sliced, for serving
banana leaf (optional)
Quantity
1 piece
softened, for lining the dish
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| mature ʻuru (breadfruit)firm and starchy, or 2 1/2 pounds cooked frozen breadfruit | 1 large (3 to 4 pounds) |
| fine sea saltplus more for the cooking water | 1 1/2 teaspoons |
| coconut oil or unsalted butterplus more for the dish | 1 tablespoon |
| yellow onionfinely chopped | 1 small |
| garlicminced | 2 cloves |
| full-fat coconut milkfresh-pressed or canned | 2 cups |
| coconut cream | 1/2 cup |
| freshly grated nutmeg | 1/2 teaspoon |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1/2 teaspoon |
| fresh thyme leaves (optional) | 1 teaspoon |
| Emmental, Gruyère, or mild melting cheesegrated and divided | 1 cup |
| coarse fresh bread crumbs from day-old baguette (optional) | 1/3 cup |
| green onionsliced, for serving | 2 tablespoons |
| banana leaf (optional)softened, for lining the dish | 1 piece |
Equipment Needed
- •Shallow 2-quart metal gratin dish or 9-by-13-inch baking pan
- •Large steamer basket or wide 6-quart pot with a rack
- •Small saucepan for the coconut sauce
Instructions
- 1
Choose the ʻuru
Choose a mature firm ʻuru, the Tahitian breadfruit, green to yellow-green and heavy, not soft and sweet. Rub a little oil on your knife and hands if the sap is sticky, cut away the stem end, quarter the fruit, trim out the spongy core, and peel the skin. Keep the pieces in a bowl of salted water as you work so they stay pale.
If the breadfruit is soft, fragrant, and sugary, don't force it into gratin. Eat what you have. That one wants a sweet bake or a pudding direction, not this savory pan. - 2
Parcook the slices
Slice the quarters 1/2 inch thick. Simmer or steam them in well-salted water for 15 to 22 minutes, until a fork slides in but the slices still hold their edges. Drain and spread them on a towel for 10 minutes so the surface dries; watery ʻuru makes a thin gratin.
Cooked frozen breadfruit from a Pacific or Caribbean market works. Thaw it, pat it dry, and begin with the layering step. No shame in the freezer when the tree isn't outside your door. - 3
Make coconut sauce
Heat the oven to 375F and oil a shallow 2-quart gratin dish. Warm the coconut oil or butter in a pan, then cook the onion with a pinch of the salt until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic for 30 seconds, then pour in the coconut milk and coconut cream with the remaining salt, nutmeg, pepper, and thyme if using. Let it come to a gentle simmer for 3 minutes, then take it off the heat and stir in half the cheese.
Don't boil coconut milk hard. It can split and turn oily. Gentle heat keeps the sauce smooth and lets the ʻuru stay the main thing. - 4
Layer the pan
If using banana leaf, soften it over gentle heat or in hot water, then lay it in the dish. Arrange half the cooked ʻuru slices in overlapping rows, like shingles on a roof. Spoon over half the coconut sauce, scatter a little of the remaining cheese, then repeat with the rest of the ʻuru and sauce. Finish with the last cheese and the bread crumbs if you're using them.
- 5
Bake to gold
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is browned in spots, the edges look glossy and set, and a knife slips through the breadfruit without a fight. If the top colors too fast, lay foil loosely over it. Rest the gratin 10 to 15 minutes before serving so the coconut sauce settles back into the slices.
- 6
Serve the table
Scatter the sliced green onion over the top and serve the gratin warm from the pan, family-style. It belongs beside grilled fish, roast chicken, pork from the oven, or a cold bowl of Tahitian ʻia ota. This is not a tiny square on a lonely plate. ʻUru feeds people. Let it feed them.
Chef Tips
- •Firm mature breadfruit is the one you want. Green to yellow-green, heavy for its size, and starchy inside. If it smells sweet and gives under your thumb, save it for a sweet preparation.
- •Fresh-pressed coconut milk gives the cleanest flavor. A good full-fat can is fine for a weeknight, but skip light coconut milk here; it turns the sauce thin and forgets its job.
- •The cheese is the French island pantry speaking, not the elder part of the dish. For dairy-free tables, leave it out and use bread crumbs tossed with coconut oil; the top will brown, and the ʻuru will still carry the meal.
- •Breadfruit sap can be sticky. Oil the blade, wipe as you go, and keep the cut pieces in salted water. No blame the ʻuru. It is doing what breadfruit does.
- •Leftovers are good food. Slice a cold square the next day and warm it in a covered pan until the edges crisp a little, then eat it with eggs, fish, or whatever the table has.
Advance Preparation
- •Parcook the ʻuru up to 1 day ahead, cool it, cover it, and refrigerate it. Pat it dry before layering so the gratin stays rich.
- •Assemble the gratin up to 4 hours ahead and refrigerate it covered. Add 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time if it goes into the oven cold.
- •Fresh-pressed coconut milk is best the day it is made. If you press it ahead, keep it cold and whisk it back together before it goes into the sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 265g)
Calories
455 calories
Total Fat
28 g
Saturated Fat
23 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
5 g
Cholesterol
20 mg
Sodium
740 mg
Total Carbohydrates
50 g
Dietary Fiber
8 g
Sugars
19 g
Protein
9 g
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