Lau Lau Kalua Pork With Butterfish Wrapped In Taro Leaves Recipes

LAU LAU

Steps:

• Season fish, pork and chicken with Hawaiian sea salt. Place 2 ti leaves in an X on a flat surface for each of the 4 servings.
• Place 1/4 of each of the fish, pork and chicken onto the center of 3 or 4 taro leaves. Wrap securely with the taro leaves, then place each wrap on a set of ti leaves. Tie the ends of the ti leaves together with a piece of string.
• Place the bundles in a large steamer, and steam for 3 to 4 hours.

HAWAIIAN LAU LAU

Steps:

• First, prep the two types of leaves. LUAU LEAVES: take the luau leaves and wash them thoroughly one by one. Chop off the bottom stem that extends past the bottom of the leaf. Chop that stem into 1/2-inch pieces and set aside. TI LEAVES: wash the ti leaves and pat dry. Remove the main/thickest vein that runs through the center of the ti leaf. Removing this vein allows the ti leave to be more pliable/easy to fold as you will be using it to wrap the fillings. Set aside.
• At a clean workstation, stack 3-5 luau leaves on the counter. Arrange them so that the biggest leaf is on the bottom and the smallest leaf is on top.
• In the center of the leaf, put in a few chunks of the pork butt and butterfish. Add 2-3 pieces each cubed carrots and purple Okinawan sweet potato, if using. Add several of the chopped luau leaf stems. Sprinkle over Hawaiian sea salt.
• Use the luau leaves to fold and wrap all the fillings in a tight bundle.
• Next, wrap the ti leaves around the luau leaf bundle. Use the ti leaf ends to tie a topknot. If the ends are too short, use a string to tie/secure the bundle.
• Put the wrapped lau lau in a steamer. Steam for three to four hours till nice and tender. Remove the ti leaf (you can't eat the ti leaf), and serve! Ideally with rice and/or poi, chili pepper water and all your favorite Hawaiian side dishes like lomi lomi salmon and chicken long rice. Don't forget the kulolo for dessert ^_^

LAU LAU (KALUA PORK WITH BUTTERFISH WRAPPED IN TARO LEAVES)

Steps:

• Combine 2 cups water with the Liquid Smoke and sea salt in a large bowl. Add the pork butt and let marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
• Cut the stems off the taro leaves and soak the leaves in a large bowl or salad spinner filled with water for 20 minutes. Rinse the leaves, then repeat soaking for 20 minutes and rinse again.
• Place a 14-inch square of foil on a work surface and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Place 1 taro leaf on the foil, then center about 12 ounces of the pork butt and 2 ounces of the butterfish on top (overlap several taro leaves if necessary to fit). Wrap the taro leaf over the filling, folding in from the sides first so that it completely covers the filling, then roll shut like a burrito, using additional taro leaves to wrap over any tears. Wrap in another 1 to 2 layers of leaf (you will need 6 to 8 ounces of leaves, total, for each packet). Tightly fold the foil over the packet to completely cover the taro leaves. Repeat with the remaining leaves, pork butt and butterfish. Reserve remaining pork butt for another use.
• Place the Lau Lau packets in a large steamer pot, cover and cook for 6 hours. Add water to the steamer as needed.