COPPER🇹🇴 Tonga
Lu pulu recipe
Savor the rich flavors of Tongan Lu pulu!
Ingredients
- 400 g taro leaves
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 500 g beef
- 1 onion
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
How to make Lu pulu
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) for even cooking.
- Finely chop 1 onion and set aside for sautéing later.
- In a pan, sauté the chopped onion in 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes until translucent.
- Add 500 g of diced beef to the pan and cook over medium-high heat for about 8-10 minutes until browned on all sides.
- In a baking dish, layer 400 g of taro leaves evenly at the bottom.
- Spread the beef mixture over the taro leaves in the baking dish evenly.
- Pour 400 ml of coconut milk over the beef and taro leaves, ensuring coverage.
- Season the dish with 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of black pepper, then cover it with foil tightly.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 1.5 hours until the beef is tender and flavors are melded together.
- Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve family-style, spooning the dish onto plates for sharing.
What is Lu pulu?
Lu pulu is a traditional dish from Tonga, baked in the oven, and takes about 120 minutes from start to finish. It is built around beef, taro leaves and coconut milk. The recipe below uses 6 ingredients and is written out step by step.
How long does Lu pulu take?
At 120 minutes it is slower than 79% of the 588 dishes in Copper's atlas. Copper's atlas has 24 dishes built on beef. The method runs to 11 steps, the longest being 10 minutes.
Any tips for making Lu pulu?
Use fresh taro leaves for the best texture and flavor.
Copper documents Tonga alongside 195 other countries. Throw a dart at the world map and let it decide what you cook tonight.