Pa’i’ae Kulolo (Hawaiian Pudding)

Taro and coconut dessert. A traditional Hawaiian favorite without the itchy hands. 


Prep Time: 30 min  

Cooking Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups Grated Paiai 
  • 1 Cup Coconut Milk 
  • 1/2 Cup Raw Sugar 

Pa’i’ai 

  1. Handle taro with kitchen towel or gloves. Try to avoid direct skin contact until cooked. (Raw taro, without skin, has calcium oxide which causes intense itchy/irritable skin response until thoroughly cooked.) Rinse and pat dry with a kitchen towel. 
  2. Scrub/scrape the outside of the taro, much like a potato, until only the white root is exposed. 
  3. Cut in 2”-3” cubes, or 1” filets (whole circles).
  4. Place in a pot with enough water to cover the taro.
  5. Cover and boil for about 1 1/2 hours, or until tender. Stab taro with a knife, when the taro slides off the knife the taro is done. (Make sure the taro is cooked very well, for the starches can irritate and scratch the throat if not cooked through completely).
  6. Drain water.
  7. While the taro is still moist from steaming or boiling, fill the bowl/food processor to ⅓ capacity.
  8. The goal is to gradually break down a solid into a fine paste matter, while concurrently stretching the paste matter to yield glucose or sweetness from the taro. More stretching = more sweetness!
  9. Begin at a low setting for 2-3 minutes, to chop up the taro. Then gradually increase the speed until the solid taro chunks mash into a fine paste, free of large chunks.   
  10. Continue to mash the fine paste to taste. 

Pa’i’ae Kulolo

  1. Heat a medium-sized sauté pan to medium-high. 
  2. Once hot, reduce the coconut milk and sugar in the pan, stirring constantly to avoid burning the coconut milk. 
  3. If brown foam begins to develop on top of the mixture, reduce the heat and continue to stir. 
  4. Add the grated paiai and mix everything together until it’s creamy. 
  5. Serve hot or room temperature, but never cold.
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