Ngali Nut Pudding

Ingredients

The base

• 2 kgtaro
• or cassava, peeled and grated
• or a mixture of both

The nuts

• 300 gngali nut kernels
• Canarium indicum
• roughly chopped

The coconut

• 600 mlthick coconut cream
• freshly squeezed
• 1 teaspoonsalt

To wrap and bake

• banana leaves
• softened over a flame
• an earth oven
• or a moderate oven

Directions

1. Keep the kernels dry, cool and airtight. That happens in a hot humid climate. Discard any that smell musty or taste bitter. That was found in people who had never eaten them. Use sweet cassava rather than bitter. Peel cassava thickly with a knife. Cut away the pink layer beneath the skin. Those sting the mouth if undercooked.
2. Cut out the thick central rib. Do not hold them still or they burn. Peel the taro or the cassava first. Oil your hands before peeling it. Cassava needs thick peeling with a knife. Take off the pink layer as well.
3. Grate all the peeled root finely. Fine grating gives a smooth dense pudding. Squeeze the grated mass in a cloth. Press out some of the excess water. Wet pulp gives a soggy pudding.
4. Discard any that are discoloured. Discard any that smell musty or rancid. Chop all of the kernels roughly. Leave them fairly coarse in size. Put the grated root in a large bowl. Add the thick coconut cream to it. Add all of the measured salt as well.
5. Work it all together thoroughly. Every part should be evenly moistened. Work it through with your hands. Fold the chopped nuts through the mixture. Keep some of them back for the top. Judging the mixture takes a squeeze. Add more grated root if it is too wet.
6. Line a dish or tin with banana leaves. The leaves must cover the whole base. Spread the mixture into the lined dish. Scatter the reserved nuts over it. Fold all the leaves over the top. Add more leaves if needed to cover it. It must be fully enclosed in leaf. Cover the whole thing over completely. Heat the oven to one hundred and eighty degrees.
7. Bake it for about an hour and a half. The grated root must cook right through. Bake it longer if the skewer is wet. Take it out and let it stand awhile. Give it at least thirty minutes. Cut it up into thick even squares. Serve it straight from the leaf. It keeps three days refrigerated.

Technique

• Ngali nut is Canarium indicum — the same nut as Vanuatu’s nangai, which the atlas carries under that local name. Canarium grows across Melanesia and each place names it differently. The nuts were traded between islands long before European arrival.
• The kernel is very high in oil, so rancidity is the dominant spoilage mode: keep them dry, cool and airtight, smell a stored batch before using it, and discard anything sharp or stale, since one rancid nut spoils a whole pudding. Canarium nuts are also depulped by letting the fruit flesh rot off in a hot humid climate, and aflatoxin in damp-stored nuts is assessed as a real risk in the crop; proper drying is the control and no home treatment removes it.
• Canarium nuts show documented IgE cross-reactivity with pollen — pollen-allergic people who had never eaten them have tested positive. Sensitisation is firmly established while clinical reactivity is less so, and the atlas states both halves. Say clearly what is in the pudding.

Substitutions

• Taro and cassava are both used, alone or mixed; peel cassava thickly including the pink layer beneath the skin, and use sweet rather than bitter varieties.
• A moderate domestic oven stands in for the earth oven, giving a close result with less smoke.

Variations

• Chop the kernels coarsely rather than grinding them, since distinct pieces are what studs the pudding.
• Squeeze some water out of the grated root in a cloth, since wet pulp gives a soggy pudding — but do not squeeze it bone dry.
• Let it rest at least thirty minutes before slicing, since it firms considerably as it cools and breaks apart hot.

History

Canarium ngali nuts are gathered from tall forest trees and traded between islands; they are among the few Solomon foods with export potential.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ngali Nut Pudding?

Ngali Nut Pudding is a dessert from Solomon Islands: festive taro or cassava pudding studded with rich canarium nuts. Canarium ngali nuts are gathered from tall forest trees and traded between islands; they are among the few Solomon foods with export potential.

How long does Ngali Nut Pudding take to make?

Ngali Nut Pudding takes 1 hour of preparation and 1 hour 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 10. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Ngali Nut Pudding?

Yes, within limits. Taro and cassava are both used, alone or mixed; peel cassava thickly including the pink layer beneath the skin, and use sweet rather than bitter varieties. A moderate domestic oven stands in for the earth oven, giving a close result with less smoke.

What is the most important thing to get right in Ngali Nut Pudding?

Keep the kernels dry, cool and airtight. That happens in a hot humid climate. Discard any that smell musty or taste bitter. That was found in people who had never eaten them. Use sweet cassava rather than bitter. Peel cassava thickly with a knife. Cut away the pink layer beneath the skin. Those sting the mouth if undercooked.