How to make banana poke

Keri Teavae, from the Cook Islands, shows how to make banana poke.

Keri Teavae was born in Dunedin, but her father came from the Cook Islands - there are 20,000 people in the Cook Islands and more than 58,000 people of Cook Island descent in New Zealand and Australia.

She learnt this recipe from her aunties and grandmother in Auckland and it can be eaten hot or cold, as a dessert or a side dish or salad with other food. It is served on special occasions such as Christmas, Easter and birthdays.

Poke is pronounced like the po in pork and the ke in keg.

Keri Teavae

Poke (Cook Islands banana dessert or salad)

Ingredients

15-20 over-ripe bananas
400-700g pia (arrowroot or tapioca flour)
1 can (350-400ml) coconut milk
a little sunflower or canola oil

Method

Peel the bananas and slice them into a large saucepan, discarding any rotten parts.

Mash the bananas. Put the pot on medium heat and continue to mash and stir - try to get all the lumps out. The bananas will become liquid and darken slightly. When it starts to simmer, put down the masher and use a spoon to stir in the pia little by little, making sure all the flour dissolves. Continue to stir over low heat, adding pia until the poke is so thick it is almost impossible to stir. The pot will be heavy and the mixture very thick and sticky.

Heat oven to 200degC. Oil a baking dish and pour or spoon the poke into the dish. Spread it out, cover and bake for about 50 minutes.

Remove the lid, brush the top with oil and return to the oven to allow the top of the pudding to brown under the grill for 10 minutes or so.

Heat the coconut milk. When the poke is done, take alternate spoonfuls of hot coconut milk and hot poke and place them in a serving dish until all is incorporated.

You can eat this warm with more coconut milk. If it is cold, it will be very stiff and will need cutting and more coconut cream.

Tips

• The bananas need to be so ripe the skins are mostly brown. They will ripen quickly if you leave them in the sun.

• You can use pumpkin or taro instead of banana.

- Thanks to Afife Harris and Centre City New World.