Coconut rolls from the Cook Islands

  • Everyday Cooking
Cook recipe
Coconut rolls from the Cook Islands
Coconut rolls from the Cook Islands

“This is the recipe I have found best.... you can get a decent 12 out of it. I just use a baking tray (like what you'd roast pork in).” Recipe provided by Jessie Soleas.

Cook Islanders dream about these rolls when they are away and are often the first treat they look for when they get home at the Punanga Nui markets in Rarotonga. They are naughty, but so good.

Makes 12. V.

Pictured: Coconut Rolls from the Cook Islands

THE ROLLS

Ingredients

  • 4 cups of plain flour
  • 2-3 tbsp butter
  • ½ cup of sugar (caster or normal)
  • 2 tsp yeast
  • THE SAUCE - I like lots of sauce to slop it up in.... you might want to alter the quantities if there’s too much
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3-4 cups of coconut cream (you can use milk as well but I prefer cream)
  • ½ cup of desiccated coconut (more or less depending how much you like)
  • 1 tsp of cassava powder (can use arrowroot or corn flour as well I suppose.... it’s just to thicken it up)

Method

Mix the yeast and sugar with about ¼ cup of warm water and leave it on the bench for a couple of minutes.

Combine flour, butter and coconut in a large bowl

Add the cup of yeast, sugar and water to the mixing bowl and knead for a good 5 minutes. it should be the same consistency as bread

Roll out the dough and chop it up into 12 equal "snakes" (or however many rolls you want)

Individually rolls each snake into a "snail" coil and place it in the baking tray (can spray//flour the base so it doesn’t stick)

Place a tea-towel over the baking tray - the rolls will approximately double

To make the sauce:

Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and mix together (make sure cassava is really whisked in)

Cook for a few minutes over low heat. The sauce will begin to thicken

Pour half the sauce over the rolls and cook for about 30 mins

When finished, pour the left over sauce over the rolls

Enjoy :)

Dietary preferences

  • Vegetarian