COPPERVakalolo recipe
Fresh grated cassava steamed in banana leaf and drowned in a caramel of burnt sugar and coconut milk.
Ingredients
- 1000 g grated cassava
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 100 g grated coconut
- 250 g brown sugar
- 10 g ginger
- 6 banana leaves
- 1 pinch salt
How to make Vakalolo
- Peel and grate 1 kg of fresh cassava root. Tapioca flour is not a substitute: it sets into a rubbery gel instead of this dense crumb.
- Squeeze out part of the liquid, then mix the cassava with 100 g of grated coconut, 10 g of grated ginger and a pinch of salt.
- Soften banana leaves over a flame, spread the mixture on them in flat cakes about 2 cm thick and fold them into parcels.
- Steam the parcels 40 to 45 minutes until firm. In a village they go into the lovo earth oven, which gives the smoky note a steamer cannot.
- Melt 250 g of brown sugar in a dry pan until it darkens and smells nutty.
- Off the heat, pour in 400 ml of coconut milk and stir back into a smooth caramel, returning it briefly to low heat if it seizes.
- Unwrap the cakes, cut them into squares and pour the hot coconut caramel over. Serve warm; it firms up as it cools.
What is Vakalolo?
Vakalolo is a traditional dish from Fiji, baked in the oven, and takes about 1 hour and 25 minutes from start to finish. It is built around grated cassava, coconut milk and brown sugar. The recipe below uses 7 ingredients and is written out step by step.
How long does Vakalolo take?
At 85 minutes it is quicker than 65% of the 586 dishes in Copper's atlas. Copper's atlas has 2 dishes built on grated cassava. The method runs to 7 steps, the longest being 45 minutes.
Any tips for making Vakalolo?
Grate fresh cassava root rather than using tapioca flour, which sets into a rubbery gel instead of the dense crumb you want.
How Vakalolo compares
Grated cassava appears in no other dish in the atlas.
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