Hangi is the Maori earth oven, cooking meat and root vegetables in a pit of stone-heated coals under wet sacks for 2 to 4 hours. The flavour is deep, smoky and tender.

Hangi traces to early Polynesian cooking pits dug at sites like Wairau Bar (circa 1280 CE). The technique uses heated rocks (600-700C) placed in a pit; food baskets sit on the rocks, the pit is covered with damp cloths and earth, and cooks for 2-4 hours. Original Maori pits cooked cordyline root before European arrival. Wire baskets replaced leaves in the 19th century. Today the hangi appears at hui, funerals, weddings, midwinter Matariki celebrations and Pasifika festivals across Auckland. Gas-heated steel hangi machines replicate the technique without digging.

Where to eat Hangi in Auckland

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Make it at home

Serves Serves 8 (using a steam basket as a home substitute)3 hrIntermediate

Ingredients

  • 1.5kg lamb shoulder, bone in
  • 800g kumara (orange or red), peeled, halved
  • 800g pumpkin, peeled, cut in wedges
  • 500g floury potatoes, halved
  • 1 medium cabbage, quartered
  • Sea salt, cracked pepper, native horopito if available

Method

  1. Season lamb generously with salt, pepper and crushed horopito. Sear in a heavy pan to brown all sides.
  2. Place lamb in a large lidded dutch oven or stovetop steamer. Add 500ml water; bring to a simmer.
  3. Cover and steam-cook 90 minutes over low heat; lamb should be falling apart.
  4. Add kumara, pumpkin, potatoes in layers around the lamb. Cover and steam 30 minutes.
  5. Add cabbage on top. Cover and steam another 20 minutes until vegetables are tender.
  6. Lift everything onto a platter. Pour cooking juices over and serve with a small dish of native horopito-salt for sprinkling.

Editor tip. A real pit hangi requires hours of fire-tending and a backyard. This stovetop version captures the steam-and-smoke principle for a domestic kitchen.