Kumu Musong — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Mixed garden greens packed into a bamboo tube with coconut cream and roasted over an open fire until steamed through. This ingenious Highlands cooking method uses bamboo as both vessel and steamer.

Ingredients

1 large bunch mixed greens (aibika, pumpkin tips, watercress)
1/2 cup coconut cream
1 small onion, sliced
Salt to taste
1 fresh bamboo tube (about 60cm long, 8cm diameter)

Instructions

1 Select a fresh green bamboo tube with one sealed node at the bottom end.
2 Wash and roughly chop greens. Toss with coconut cream, onion, and salt.
3 Pack the seasoned greens tightly into the bamboo tube through the open top.
4 Seal the open end with a plug of crumpled banana leaf.
5 Lean the bamboo tube at an angle over a fire, open end slightly higher than closed end.
6 Rotate the tube every 10 minutes for 30 minutes until you hear the coconut cream bubbling inside.
7 Carefully split the bamboo with a machete and serve the steamed greens directly.

Did You Know?

The bamboo tube imparts a subtle sweet, grassy flavor to the food inside. Experienced cooks select specific bamboo species and ages for optimal flavor transfer.