SQUID LŪʻAU

Ingredients

• 900 g fresh lūʻau leaves (taro leaves), stems trimmed and discarded
• 500 ml coconut milk, full-fat
• 450 g fresh squid, cleaned, bodies cut into rings, tentacles left whole
• 1 tsp salt

Method

1. 1
   Place the trimmed lūʻau leaves in a heavy pot. Add the coconut milk. Set over low heat, cover, and cook for a minimum of two hours, stirring periodically, until the leaves have fully dissolved into the coconut milk and the mixture is dark, glossy, and uniformly creamy. Taste: no bitterness or throat-catch from calcium oxalate should remain.
2. 2
   Add the cleaned squid to the leaf and coconut mixture. Continue to cook over low, steady heat, stirring periodically to maintain the emulsion, until the squid is tender and the sauce holds its creamy consistency without any visible separation of fat.
3. 3
   Season with salt. The finished dish should be a thick, dark, cohesive stew — rich with coconut, carrying the marine flavour of the squid. Serve immediately.