Ingredients
Beef
- 1.5 kgsalt-cured beef brisket, bought
- cold water, for soaking
To simmer
- 3 litreswater
- 2onions, quartered
- 1 headgarlic, halved
- black peppercorns
To serve
- taro or taro leaves
- coconut cream
- boiled green banana or rice
Directions
- Take the brisket out of its brine and rinse it thoroughly, then soak it in a large bowl of cold water in the fridge for 12 hours, changing the water three or four times.
- Taste a small piece after the soak. It should be savoury rather than harshly salty, and thick pieces need longer than thin ones. Skipping this leaves a dish nobody can eat, and no amount of coconut cream will fix it.
- Put the beef in a large pot with the onion, garlic and peppercorns, cover with fresh unsalted water, and bring slowly to a bare simmer.
- Simmer very gently for two to two and a half hours, until a fork goes in with no resistance. Skim the foam off in the first twenty minutes.
- Do not add salt at any stage. The beef brings all of it and then some.
- Lift the meat out and let it rest, then cut it into thick slices or pull it into large chunks.
- Boil or steam the taro until tender, and if using taro leaves, cook them at length in coconut cream — young leaves still contain calcium oxalate and need long cooking to be comfortable to eat.
- Serve the beef with the taro, spooning coconut cream over, with a little of the cooking broth alongside.
Technique
- Soak it and taste it. This is the entire technique of the dish.
- Never add salt.
- Cook taro leaves thoroughly. Undercooked, the oxalate crystals make the mouth and throat itch.
Substitutions
- Corned beef brisket from a butcher, which is the same thing.
- Salt pork, prepared identically.
- Green banana, breadfruit or rice in place of taro.
Variations
- Simmered into a coconut and onion stew rather than served in slices.
- The Tongan and Fijian versions of salted beef with taro are essentially the same dish.
History
Barrels of salted beef arrived with nineteenth-century traders and missionaries; the cured brisket keeps without refrigeration and remains a feast staple.
Frequently asked questions
What is Povi Masima?
Povi Masima is a charcuterie & cured from Samoa: salt-cured beef brisket simmered and served with taro or rice. Barrels of salted beef arrived with nineteenth-century traders and missionaries; the cured brisket keeps without refrigeration and remains a feast staple.
How long does Povi Masima take to make?
Povi Masima takes 15 min plus 12 hours soaking of preparation and 2 hours 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Povi Masima?
Yes, within limits. Corned beef brisket from a butcher, which is the same thing. Salt pork, prepared identically. Green banana, breadfruit or rice in place of taro.
What is the most important thing to get right in Povi Masima?
Taste a small piece after the soak. It should be savoury rather than harshly salty, and thick pieces need longer than thin ones. Skipping this leaves a dish nobody can eat, and no amount of coconut cream will fix it.
