Banana Poke

Serve this as an accompaniment to meat dishes. Poke (pronounced po-kay) is a pudding made of cassava mixed with one or two fruits or sweet vegetables, such as banana, papaya, mango, or pumpkin. Although the common banana at supermarkets, the Cavendish, can be used for poke, try to get some of the sweeter, thin-skinned Southeast Asian varieties, if possible.

4 over-ripe bananas (the riper the better, so bruised bananas are fine), peeled and roughly chopped

water to cover

2 cups cassava flour

2 cups coconut milk

• Place bananas with water to cover in a pot and simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour until pulped and completely soft (color will change to pink or purple).
• Leave to cool thoroughly (the pulp can be frozen for use another day).
• Combine cassava flour with 1 cup banana pulp. Mix well with your hands and knead to a solid mass that comes away from your hands and the side of the bowl. (Or mix in a food processor.)
• Place in a greased 8x 10 inch baking dish and bake at 350 F for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Check after 30 minutes with a toothpick. If it comes away clean, it is ready. The texture should be dry but wobbly.
• Warm coconut milk until almost bubbling.
• Drop spoonfuls of the baked mixture into hot coconut milk. Serve warm with roast or baked pork or fish.