Vegan vakalolo
Vakalolo is a delicious Fijian dessert where steamed or boiled cassava is served in a delectable caramel coconut sauce.
Servings 4 people
Ingredients
Vakalolo
- 500 mL cassava 400 g; poisonous, see note
- 50-100 mL brown sugar
- banana leaves or parchment paper
Caramel coconut sauce
- 100 mL brown sugar
- 200 mL coconut milk or cream
Instructions
Vakalolo
- Use a knife to remove the skin from the cassava.
- Grate the cassava finely
- Mix the sugar into the cassava
- Wrap a few tablespoons of dough in a banana leaf or parchment paper. Tie tightly so it doesn't leak.
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil and boil the packets for 45-60 min
- Option: Instead of boiling the packets, you can steam them for 45-60 minutes.
Caramel coconut sauce
- Add the sugar to a pot on medium to high heat. Melt the sugar and leave until it grows darker.
- Remove from heat and carefully add the coconut milk. The sugar is very hot and the first milk will start boiling. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
- Simmer on low heat wihtout a lid while the vakalolo is boiling, 30-60 min. The sauce should change colour to a deep brown.
Assembly
- When the vakalolo has finished cooking, remove them from the banana leaf or parchment paper packets.
- While still hot but not too hot to handle, cut or tear into bite-size chunks.
- Mix the chunks with the caramel coconut sauce and enjoy straight away.
Notes
Uncooked cassava contains a cyanide precursor and is poisonous. But once cooked, it can be delicious.
I chose to steam my cassava parcels in case they were leaking (in which case boiling might be worse).