Aibika in Coconut Milk

Ingredients

Greens

• 600 gaibika leaves
• or 600 g spinach or Malabar spinach

Coconut

• 400 mlthick coconut cream
• 200 mlthin coconut milk
• or 1 fresh coconut, grated and pressed

Aromatics

• 1onion, sliced
• 2garlic cloves, sliced
• 1tomato, chopped, optional
• 1 teaspoonsalt
• black pepper

To serve

• boiled kaukau, sweet potato
• taro or yam
• rice
• grilled fish

Directions

1. Pick the young leaves off the stems. Discard any thick woody stalks. Wash them thoroughly in several changes of water. Shake them dry well in a colander.
2. Tear or chop them into large pieces. Do not chop them up too finely. Crack a mature brown coconut open. Grate the white flesh out of the shell.
3. Squeeze the grated flesh hard in your hands. The first squeezing gives thick cream. Set that thick cream aside separately. Add warm water to the same grated flesh. Squeeze it again for the thinner milk.
4. Let a tin settle and spoon off the thick top. Dilute the rest with water for the thin milk. Put the thin coconut milk in a wide pot. Add the sliced onion and garlic. Add the chopped tomato if you are using it. Bring the pot to a gentle simmer.
5. Let it cook for about five minutes. The onion should soften right down. Add the aibika leaves to the pot. They will look like far too much at first. Simmer them for about eight minutes. They should be completely tender. Turn the heat right down to low. Pour in the thick coconut cream.
6. Stir it through the pot gently. Never let it boil hard after the cream goes in. Keep it at a bare tremble for five minutes. Stir it occasionally as it warms through. The sauce should thicken slightly. Add the salt and grind in black pepper.
7. Taste it and adjust the salt again. Coconut cream needs a decent amount of salt. Spoon it into a bowl with plenty of the cream. Serve boiled kaukau alongside. It keeps for a day refrigerated.

Technique

• Aibika is one of the most important garden greens in Papua New Guinea because it crops continuously in a wet tropical climate.
• The same plant is grown across the Pacific and in parts of Southeast Asia under many local names.

Substitutions

• Spinach, Malabar spinach or amaranth leaves all work, though none is quite as slippery.
• Tinned coconut milk works well when separated into thick and thin portions.

Variations

• Some households add tinned fish or smoked fish to the pot.
• A version with pumpkin tips instead of aibika is equally common.
• Adding a little chilli is done in some areas.

History

Aibika is a native hibiscus green grown in every village garden, valued because it keeps producing leaves year-round in the wet tropics.

Frequently asked questions

What is Aibika in Coconut Milk?

Aibika in Coconut Milk is a salad & side from Papua New Guinea: slippery native greens simmered in rich coconut cream. Aibika is a native hibiscus green grown in every village garden, valued because it keeps producing leaves year-round in the wet tropics.

How long does Aibika in Coconut Milk take to make?

Aibika in Coconut Milk takes 15 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Aibika in Coconut Milk?

Yes, within limits. Spinach, Malabar spinach or amaranth leaves all work, though none is quite as slippery. Tinned coconut milk works well when separated into thick and thin portions.

What is the most important thing to get right in Aibika in Coconut Milk?

Tear or chop them into large pieces. Do not chop them up too finely. Crack a mature brown coconut open. Grate the white flesh out of the shell.