Sua Faʻi (Sua faʻi)
Overview
Sua faʻi is a sweet, creamy banana and coconut soup from Samoa. Ripe bananas are sliced or mashed and cooked in water until very soft, then thickened with a little arrowroot or tapioca starch and enriched with thick coconut cream. The soup is often flavoured with a leaf of lemon or orange, and some cooks add a little sugar, though ripe bananas are usually sweet enough. It is smooth, fragrant and comforting, somewhere between a soup and a porridge. Sua faʻi is eaten for breakfast or as a sweet snack, and it can be served warm or chilled. Similar dishes are made with papaya, called sua esi, or with rice.
History
Bananas and coconuts grow in every village in Samoa and are part of almost every meal. Sua faʻi is a traditional dish of Samoan homes, often made on Sunday mornings or for children and older people because it is gentle and filling. Sua means a soup or liquid dish in Samoan, and faʻi means banana.
Main ingredients
Ripe bananas, coconut cream, arrowroot or tapioca, lemon leaves, sugar, water. The soup is built on coconut cream and is usually served hot. Diet: vegan; usually gluten-free.
Explore: Coconut soups · More soups from Samoa
Recipe
Method
- 110 min
Simmer the bananas and leaf in the water for 10 minutes until very soft.
- 2
Mash some of the banana into the liquid.
- 3
Stir in the arrowroot mixture and cook until slightly thick.
- 4
Add the coconut cream and sugar, heat gently and serve warm or cold.
- ✓
Serve. About 30 min from start to bowl.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
