Po'e à la Vanille de Tahiti

The ancient Polynesian baked pudding: ripe banana and arrowroot perfumed with a whole Tahitian vanilla pod, baked until set and amber, served in a pool of fresh coconut cream

Origin: French Polynesia, Tahiti

From the journey of Vanilla.

Po'e is one of the oldest surviving dessert preparations in Polynesia: a dense, sliceable pudding made by binding ripe fruit with arrowroot (pia, the traditional Tahitian starch thickener) and baking until the starch sets the mixture into a firm, deeply flavoured cake. Every island family has its version: banana po'e (po'e mei'a), papaya po'e, breadfruit po'e, pumpkin po'e. The constant, since vanilla arrived in Tahiti in 1848, is the whole vanilla pod laid into the batter before baking: the enclosed heat of the oven draws the Tahitian bean's extraordinary floral oils through the entire pudding. This is vanilla used as the Totonac originally used it: not as a flavouring added in small measured quantities but as a scenting agent, a living aromatic presence in the dish. Po'e is served at every Tahitian celebration, weddings, funerals, church gatherings, and always accompanied by miti ha'ari: fresh coconut cream pressed from mature coconut meat, unsweetened and barely thickened, poured over the warm pudding at the table.

Ingredients

base

6 very ripe bananas (overripe is ideal, the skin should be heavily spotted or black), peeled
120 g arrowroot flour (pia), or tapioca starch as the closest substitute; do not use cornflour

sweetener

80 g caster (superfine) sugar

vanilla

2 Tahitian vanilla pods, split lengthwise, both halves laid into the batter

seasoning

1 pinch fine sea salt

coconut cream

400 ml full-fat coconut milk (from a can, well shaken)
1 tbsp caster sugar, to sweeten the coconut cream (optional)

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F, fan 160°C). Grease a 20cm × 20cm (8 × 8 inch) baking dish or a shallow 23cm (9-inch) round tin with a little neutral oil.
Mash the bananas thoroughly with a fork or in a food processor until completely smooth with no chunks. The mixture should be a flowing purée.
Add the arrowroot, sugar, and salt to the banana purée. Mix until completely combined and smooth: the arrowroot dissolves instantly in the fruit's moisture.
Pour the batter into the prepared dish. Scrape the seeds from both vanilla pods and stir the seeds through the batter, then lay both empty vanilla pod halves on top of the batter; press them in very slightly so they stay in place.
Bake for 50-60 minutes until the top is deep golden-amber, the edges are slightly pulling away from the sides, and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. The pudding should feel firm when pressed gently at the top.
Remove the vanilla pods (they can be dried and used for vanilla sugar). Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting; po'e is served warm or at room temperature, not hot.
To make the coconut cream: gently warm the coconut milk with the optional sugar until just heated through; do not boil. Serve the warm po'e in squares or wedges with the warm coconut cream poured generously over the top at the table.

Notes

Po'e is traditionally made with banana, but papaya, pumpkin, or breadfruit versions are equally authentic; substitute the same weight of very ripe fruit. The pudding keeps well at room temperature for up to 2 days and is excellent cold the next day, cut into thin slices. In Tahiti, po'e is often cooked in a wood-fired oven (ahima'a) wrapped in banana leaves, which gives a subtly smoky, grassy perfume to the exterior crust; impossible to replicate at home but worth knowing.

The Gastrographer

Name: Po'e à la Vanille de Tahiti
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Tahiti
Ingredients: 6 very ripe bananas (overripe is ideal, the skin should be heavily spotted or black), peeled; 120 g arrowroot flour (pia), or tapioca starch as the closest substitute; do not use cornflour; 80 g caster (superfine) sugar; 2 Tahitian vanilla pods, split lengthwise, both halves laid into the batter; 1 pinch fine sea salt; 400 ml full-fat coconut milk (from a can, well shaken); 1 tbsp caster sugar, to sweeten the coconut cream (optional)

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control