A warming soup of tapioca pearls, coconut milk, leafy greens, and onion. This simple one-pot meal stretches basic ingredients into a filling, nourishing dish loved across PNG's rural communities.
Ingredients
1/2 cup tapioca pearls
1 can (400ml) coconut milk
2 cups water
1 bunch leafy greens, chopped
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
1Heat oil in a pot. Saute onion and garlic 2 minutes until fragrant.
2Add water and bring to a boil. Add tapioca pearls.
3Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
4Pour in coconut milk and stir well. Add chopped greens.
5Cook 10 more minutes until tapioca is fully translucent and greens are tender.
6Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.
Did You Know?
Tapioca was introduced to PNG from South America via Southeast Asia during the colonial period, but PNG communities adopted it so thoroughly that many consider it a traditional local crop.