Masi Samoa

2 cups (4 sticks) butter or margarine
4 cups granulated sugar
5 eggs
2 cans coconut milk
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 pounds all-purpose flour
10 teaspoons baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream butter and sugar.
Add eggs, coconut milk and vanilla
extract and mix well.
Add flour and baking powder to the mixture.
Mix until it is easier to handle, then roll it out, and cut into
squares.
Put squares onto a cookie sheet and bake until they are
brown on both sides.

Palusami (Polynesia)

About 36 young taro leaves
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 cups coconut cream
1 teaspoon curry powder (optional)
6 wilted banana leaves
6 breadfruit leaves
Salt, to taste

Add onions to coconut cream.
Add curry, if desired.
Salt to
taste.
Take about six taro leaves and form into a cup.
Pour 1/2 cup
of the coconut cream mixture into the taro leaf cup.
Wrap with
banana leaf, then wrap again with breadfruit leaf.
Bake in oven for
30 minutes.

Pani Popo (Samoa)

5 3/4 to 6 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 package yeast
2 1/4 cups milk
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon shortening, margarine, or butter
1 teaspoon salt

Mix 2 1/2 cups of the flour and yeast.

In a saucepan heat and stir milk, sugar, shortening, margarine,
or butter; and salt until warm and shortening almost melts.
Add to
flour mixture.
Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30
seconds, scraping bowl constantly.
Using a spoon, stir in as much
remaining flour as you can to make a moderately stiff dough that is
smooth and easy to pull, about 6 to 8 minutes.
Put some shortening
on your hands.
This will add moisture to dough and make it easier
to handle.
Shape dough into a ball and put in a greased bowl.
Turn
it on both sides to grease the whole ball of dough.
Put a pan with
some very hot water in it on the bottom of the oven.
Cover dough
and let rise in the oven on the top rack.
(The steam from the hot
water will help it to rise.) This should take about 45 minutes.

Punch dough down.
Roll 18 balls and cover for 10 minutes while
you make the following milk mixture.

Milk Mixture
2 cans coconut milk
1 cup granulated sugar

Pour half of the milk mixture into each of two (13 x 9-inch)
pans.
Put in 9 bread rolls on top (or you can make the rolls
smaller to make more rolls).
Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes
or until bread tests done.

Hawaiian Pork

Sweet and Sour Sauce
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup catsup
1/4 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Stir all ingredients together.
Set aside.

Pork and Vegetables
2 pounds lean boneless pork (such as shoulder
or butt), trimmed of excess fat and cut
into 3/4-inch cubes
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup cornstarch
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch squares
1 small red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch squares
1 small onion, cut into wedges, layers separated
1/4 pound Chinese pea pods (snow or sugar peas) or
1 package frozen Chinese pea pods, thawed and
drained

Dip pork cubes in beaten egg; drain briefly and roll in
cornstarch to coat lightly; shake off excess.
Place a wok over high
heat.
When wok is hot, add 2 tablespoons of the oil.
When oil is
hot, add half the pork; stir fry until evenly browned (5 to 7
minutes).

Lift pork from wok and set aside.
Repeat to brown remaining
meat, adding more oil as needed.
Add remaining oil (about 2
tablespoons) to wok.
Add bell peppers and onion; stir fry until
vegetables are tender-crisp to bite (about 2 minutes).

Add pea pods; then stir sauce and add.
Stir until sauce boils
and thickens; return pork to wok and stir until heated through.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Damper Bread

This bread dates back to the early days of the Australian
colonies.
It may have been named for William Dampier, an early
explorer.

1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (105 degrees F to 115 degrees F)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup shortening
1 cup buttermilk

Dissolve yeast in warm water; stir in sugar.
Mix flour, baking
powder and salt in large bowl; cut in shortening until mixture
resembles fine crumbs.
Stir in yeast mixture and buttermilk until
soft dough forms.
Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; gently
knead until smooth, about 1 minute.
Cover; let rest 10 minutes.

Shape dough into a round 7-inch diameter loaf.
Place on greased
cookie sheet.
Cover; let rise in warm place 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cut an X about 1/2 inch deep in
top of bread.
Bake until golden brown, about 35 minutes.

Serve warm.
Tear bread into pieces to serve.

Hawaiian Steak

Individual steaks, 1/2-inch thick or less
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup vinegar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Pineapple slices
1 large can mushrooms

Punch both sides of each steak well with a fork, then marinate
for 24 to 36 hours in a marinade made by soy sauce, Worcestershire
sauce, vinegar and sugar.

Simmer steaks on a low fire for 10 minutes in the marinade.
Remove them and place steaks in a 350 degree F oven for 10 to 20
minutes, depending on thickness of meat.
Three minutes before
removing steaks, place a pineapple slice on each.

To make gravy, slowly sauté a large can of
mushrooms in butter.
While doing so, boil down the sauce used for
the marinade to make a gravy.
Combine mushrooms and reduced
marinade sauce.

Serve individual steaks with the pineapple on top, over which
has been poured a generous amount of gravy.