Samoan Fa’ausi Recipe
Fa’ausi is a traditional Samoan dish that combines two recipes: dense coconut bread (known as fa’apapa) and a sweet coconut caramel sauce. Fa’apapa is traditionally made with copra (dried coconut flesh), although many variations also include ingredients such as mashed pumpkin, banana, or taro.
Ingredients
- Caster sugar – 1 cup
- Coconut milk – 1 ½ cups
Fa’apapa (coconut bread)
- Plain flour – 2 ¼ cups
- Caster sugar – ½ cup
- Moist coconut flakes (plus extra, to serve) – ¾ cup
- Baking powder – 1 tsp
- Coconut milk – 1 cup
Instructions
- Begin by preheating the oven to 200°C. To prepare the coconut bread, mix flour, sugar, coconut flakes and baking powder in a bowl. Pour in the coconut milk and stir to make a sticky dough.
- Shift it to a floured work surface. Slightly dust your hands with flour and split the dough in half. Shape both of the pieces into 4 cm-thick rectangles.
- When finished, place them in the centre of two large sheets of baking paper. Make sure the baking sheets are already greased. Now, take the paper and fold it into a parcel to completely enclose the dough.
- Remember to fold the ends to completely secure the dough. It’s time to transfer the parcels to a large baking tray and allow them to bake until they turn golden brown in colour and are cooked completely. This should take you about 35 minutes.
- Once baked, keep it aside to cool for a while. Cut into 4 cm (approximately) pieces.
- In the meantime, to prepare coconut caramel, add sugar and 60 ml of water to a small saucepan. Heat it over a medium flame and continue to mix until the sugar dissolves completely.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until it turns a deep golden brown. Make sure to avoid stirring during this time. It should take you about 6 minutes.
- Once done, take the pan off the heat and slowly pour the coconut milk. Place it back on medium heat and stir until the mixture is smooth and the ingredients are properly combined. Keep aside to cool.
- Now, take a large tray or shallow serving bowl and place the bread pieces on it. Pour the caramel on top. Keep away, turning rarely, for about an hour or until the caramel is completely dissolved in the bread. Add extra coconut flakes on top and serve!
- It is important to note that moist coconut flakes are usually sweetened, and one can easily find them in supermarkets. However, if it is not available, you can use shredded coconut as a substitute.
Nutrition
Calories: 499kcalCarbohydrates: 71gProtein: 5gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 16gSodium: 94mgFiber: 2gSugar: 40g
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