Kai to Try

Maia’s finished boil up. Source: Maia Aramakutu. 

When you think of Māori kai, the first thing that might come to your mind is hāngī. This is a traditional way of cooking food, using heated rocks and burial in a pit that is used as an oven. Hāngī usually consists of a type of meat along with potato, kūmara, pumpkin, and other vegetables, and has a nice smoky flavour.  

Although hāngī has become the food most associated with Māori culture, I’ve only had a proper hāngī once in my life. And considering it was at my primary school, I doubt it was authentic.  

When I was growing up, one of the staples in our household was boil up. My dad would make it quite frequently and so would my nanny. 

Boil up is a Māori dish that is traditionally made with pork bones, greens such as pūhā, watercress, or spinach, and a starch like kūmara and potatoes. It is also traditionally made with doughboys, which are balls of homemade dough. 

Although I didn’t really enjoy boil up when I was a kid, I have really grown to love it and it is extremely simple to make. 

So here is the recipe! 

To start, you need to grab a massive pot. However, my flat does not have one, so I made mine in a slow cooker. You also need to have some type of pork bone – I used bacon bones, because they looked nicer – and some water. 

You then add the bones to the pot and fill it up with water, so it covers the bones. Then bring to a boil, put the lid on the pot, and let simmer for an hour and a half to two hours. 

After an hour, add your starch. I used carrot, pumpkin, and potatoes.  

After another half hour, add in your greens. For this dish, I used spinach and cabbage, but you can use any greens you have.  

Then cook for another half an hour, or for as long as you think it needs, and then it should be done.  

I like to eat my boil up with buttered bread and a lot of salt. 

Boil up starts. Source: Maia Aramakutu. 

Boil up is an extremely simple dish and tastes so delicious. It is kind of like a soup if you choose to eat it with the water, but I like to eat it without. 

It is very filling, and the meat falls right off the bone and the starch is cooked perfectly. I would recommend.  

Another Māori food that I also love is parāoa parai (fry bread). This type of bread also has origins in North America and is a staple in Māori households, and is now used mostly on special occasions. 

I only had parāoa parai once at the school fair when I was growing up, but I learnt to make it last year when I was experimenting with food as a means for cultural connection. It was so yummy and extremely simple to make. Although I had never made bread before, I managed to make it easily, and it turned out near-perfect. 

Parāoa parai is made out of flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and warm water, and is easier to make than other bread. To make it you mix three cups of flour, two teaspoons of yeast, a half teaspoon of sugar, and one teaspoon of salt, while slowly adding warm water until a dough is formed. 

Then you knead the dough until it’s smooth and transfer it into an oiled bowl. Leave covered for 45 to 60 minutes. 

Once the dough has risen, separate it into even pieces and then deep fry them until they are golden brown. Continue doing this until they’re all cooked, then pat the bread dry with some paper towels and enjoy. 

Parāroa parai is extremely diverse and can be sweet or savoury. I have seen people use it as burger buns and eat them with boil up. 

Other ways to enjoy it as a savoury dish including adding cheese, bacon, onion, and cream before frying them. It makes the bread into stuffed bread and it’s like a flavour explosion.  

I like to eat them with butter and golden syrup or honey, and it is divine. It is also nice with Nutella, jam, and whipped cream.  

However, if you do make this, I would recommend eating them within two days – they’re best eaten right after being made, and start to not taste that nice after a couple of days. 

Both dishes are simple to make, inexpensive, and extremely yummy. You should give them a try!