Samoa Food: March 2011

My Dad went through a stage where he was eating fa'ausi every morning for breakfast. No-one knew this because the man rises at an obscene hour of the morning and does work outside or goes for a walk - or at least that's what we thought he did.

One day, I snapped him out sitting in front of the house, spoon in hand, huge mug of koko samoa (like seriously, who drinks that much koko?) next to an unwrapped, half-eaten package of fa'ausi.

"Oh, since when did you start eating fa'ausi in the morning?" I asked him.

"Oi, se...The other day this kid came around selling fa'ausi and I felt sorry for him so I bought a package. He's been coming around ever since." Dad replied.
"Since when?" I asked again.
"Oh, maybe a week now", he admitted, with a smug, self-satisfied grin on his face, much like a cat that's just swallowed the family goldfish.

See the title picture up above? Behind 'Panipopos Kitchen'? The far left photo is what my father was eating that morning - pumpkin fa'ausi.

One taste of this, and you might get ideas about eating in secret too.

The fa'ausi sauce is so simple that you can make it while your fa'apapa are baking, and then leave it to cool. By the time you've cut up your fa'apapa, your fa'ausi sauce will be ready to pour over it.

Fa'ausi (serves 4)
2 fa'apapa (coconut or pumpkin)
1 cup (200g) sugar
¼ cup (60ml) water
1 can (400ml) coconut milk

Make sure your fa'apapa has cooled to room temperature. Then cut into cubes (½-1 inch squares) and set aside in a bowl.

Put the sugar and water in a heavy-based saucepan and boil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar caramelises to a dark golden brown.

Immediately add the coconut milk, being careful to stand back a little because the sauce will bubble up vigourously. Be careful not to burn your hand on the steam that rises up either. Once the mixture has settled, stir the sauce well until well-combined. Turn off the heat and leave the caramel to cool. (See the puligi recipe for things that can go wrong while you're making coconut caramel).

Pour the coconut caramel over the fa'apapa and mix well to cover all surfaces of the cubes. Leave for at least an hour (preferably longer) for the sauce to soak into the fa'apapa.

Serve as a dessert or snack. Keep leftovers in the refrigerator and gently reheat to serve.

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