History

Laulau is pre-contact Hawaiian. The traditional dish wrapped pork, salt, and sometimes butterfish in luau (kalo) leaves, then in ti leaves, and steamed it in the imu underground oven alongside the kalua pig. The luau leaves cook into a spinach-like wrap and the wrap absorbs the smoke. Highway Inn Kakaako and Helena's Hawaiian Food both run canonical laulau plates with butterfish and pork. Modern home cooks steam them in a stove-top pot rather than the imu; the result is similar though missing the smoke notes.

Common allergens: Fish

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4Hands-on 30 minTotal 4 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 600g boneless pork shoulder, cut into 4 equal portions
  • 200g butterfish (or substitute with black cod), cut into 4 pieces
  • 16 large luau (taro) leaves, washed (or substitute with collard greens)
  • 8 large ti leaves (or substitute with banana leaves)
  • 2 tablespoons Hawaiian alaea sea salt
  • 240ml water

Method

  1. Trim the central stem of each luau leaf with a paring knife. The stem holds calcium oxalate that irritates the throat raw; you must steam-cook it.
  2. Salt the pork portions on all sides. Place one piece of pork and one piece of butterfish on a pile of 4 luau leaves.
  3. Wrap the luau leaves around the meat into a tight parcel. Then wrap two ti leaves around the parcel and tie with a knot at the top, or with kitchen string.
  4. Stand the four parcels upright in a deep steamer or a heavy pot fitted with a steaming rack. Pour 240ml water into the bottom.
  5. Cover and steam at a low boil for 4 hours. The leaves should be dark green and the meat fall-apart tender; check water level halfway and top up.
  6. Lift each parcel onto a plate. Untie the ti leaves at the table; eat the steamed luau leaves with the meat like a wrap. Serve with rice and lomi salmon.

Tip from the editors. Do not eat raw luau or taro leaves under any circumstances; the calcium oxalate crystals burn the throat. You must cook at least 60 minutes. Frozen taro leaves from a Hawaiian or Filipino grocery work if fresh is unavailable.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

Where to eat laulau

Laulau in Honolulu

Highway Inn Kakaako ★ 4.3

Highway Inn Kakaako Honolulu serves a combination kalua pig plate with rice, mac salad and lomi salmon for around $15, the cheapest sit-down Hawaiian food in central Honolulu.

Try: Kalua pig combo plate

Tip: Daily 09:30 to 20:00. Mini plate at $13 feeds one; combo plate at $18 feeds two with leftovers.

680 Ala Moana Boulevard, Honolulu, HI 96813

More cities are in research. Want laulau covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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