Buatoro from Kiribati
Buatoro is a moist, rich cake made from grated pumpkin or taro. This delicious dessert from Kiribati is easy to put together and full of unique flavor and texture you won’t want to miss!
Servings 6
Calories 420kcal
Equipment
- Kitchen Twine
Ingredients
- 1.25 lb pie pumpkin peeled, gutted and cubed Pie Pumpkin (about 1 pie pumpkin). The traditional choice is Grated Babai (Swamp Taro), you can also substitute normal taro, uncooked plantain, cooked rice, or cooked breadfruit.
- ¼ cup Coconut Palm Syrup The traditional name is kamaimaialso. Also called Coconut Toddy Syrup or you can use melted coconut sugar
- ¾ cup Full Fat Coconut Milk + 2 tbsp, also called Te Ran Ben (about ½ of a 13 oz can)
- ¼ cup All purpose Flour
- 1 Banana Leaf The traditional choice is Babai leaves which is the local name for giant swamp taro leaves
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Peel a single pumpkin and grate it on the finer shredding holes of a box grater.
- Add the grated pumpkin, ¼ cup coconut palm syrup, ¾ cup coconut milk, and ¼ cup all purpose flour into a large mixing bowl and mix everything together until a thick batter is formed. You can add more flour if necessary.
- Boil a pot of water. Position the banana leaf in a sink (I propped mine up on a strainer) and carefully pour the boiling water over the leaf. This will make the leaf more bendable!
- Line a 9x5” loaf pan with the banana leaf and pour the batter into the banana leaf. Fold the banana leaf over the top of the batter, sealing the batter in.
- Set the timer for 1 ½ hours and bake until the batter solidifies into a gooey cake consistency. I baked mine for about 2 hours total.
Notes
Recipe Sources
This Recipe is researched using this recipe from @Brento Box on TikTok and this recipe from Barefoot in Jandals which is based on instructions from a Kiribati citizen.
Copyright The Foreign Fork. For educational or personal use only.
-
- Pie Pumpkin: The traditional choice is Grated Babai (Swamp Taro), you can also substitute normal taro, uncooked plantain, cooked rice, or cooked breadfruit
- Coconut Palm Syrup: The traditional name is kamaimai, also called Coconut Toddy Syrup. You can also use melted coconut sugar.
- Full Fat Coconut Milk: You may also see this called Te Ran Ben. If you are unable to locate some high quality coconut milk you could substitute whole milk.
- All-purpose Flour
- Banana Leaf: This is to wrap the cake in as it cooks. The traditional choice is Babai leaves which is the local name for giant swamp taro leaves. You could also use aluminum foil in a real pinch
- The consistency of the batter is like a thick pancake batter and the cooked cake is very thick, heavy, and moist. The end result will not be a baked cake consistency but will instead be more of a pudding consistency on the inside.
- Steep your banana leaves in hot water to make them softer and more pliable. I cut mine to the same length as my bread pan for a good fit and let the other sides hang over the edge to easily fold over the top.
- The exact moisture content of the vegetable or pumpkin you use may impact how long this dish cooks. Getting it just right for your preference may take practice but that’s okay! “Tekeraoi” is the I-Kiribati way to say good luck!
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 420kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 66mg | Potassium: 694mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 247IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 650mg | Iron: 20mg