After asking for for stories about PNG food, several people responded to the call. Here’s what they sent…
‘Gananzub,’ the soupy banana-coconut porridge from the Markham
Ashley Manoah Yaruso wrote: want to share a dish from Markham called Gananzub that is prepared using the famous “marafri” banana from Markham. This soupy dish is made by first adding water to a claypot and peeling ripe, almost over-ripened bananas into the pot. The banana bunch is then cut off and stored for later.
After a while, strong marafri bananas are added to the pot. When the water begins to boil, the ripened bananas are mashed against the wall of the claypot using a long homemade spoon made from bamboo or betel nut stem. Once the bananas are mashed, a thick cream of coconut milk is added along with tomatoes and spring onions. The coconut cream is allowed to thicken over the now ready Gananzub.
Before serving, long plates made of banana leaves are cut and lined up. Visitors and families seated on each side then pass the claypot around and pour the Gananzub onto the natural plates. To eat, a spoon is made from the banana leaves and a fork from the coconut leaf’s spine. I hope this accurately conveys the recipe for Gananzub, which is one of the best dishes I have ever tried. This memory goes back 17 years ago, the last time I was in the village.
Sago and grated coconut
Doreen Nadile writes: Sago was mixed with coconut scrapings and steamed in coconut cream, or wrapped in banana leaf and roasted on hot charcoal and eaten with roasted fish, or sago powder was sprinkled into a pot of hot boiling green coconut water while stirring occasionally, and thick coconut milk was added to finish off. I’m sorry, I do not have a photo to send. Growing up, sago was my staple food and was cooked in many different ways by my village aunties.
Cooking meat the “Wai baya” method from the Fly Delta District, Western Province
Dulu Lalela wrote: There’s a way my tribes people cook meat in sago, wrapped in banana leaf, sago leaves and cooked over the charcoals. Could be any meat from pig, deer, to turtle meat. In a way it’s like a traditional pie. We call it Wai Baya. Unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures at this point in time. Let me cook one first and will get pictures. Primitive Cooking
Tuna, tapioka and bananas
Charmaine Anderson wrote: When I was growing up, my mum’s family sent a lot of smoked tuna from Rabaul to Lae. My Dad would freeze them all. Sometimes we’d eat them as a snack with fresh coconut pieces and most times he’d cook it in coconut cream with onions and tomatoes and always had chilli in it. It was spicy but very tasty although my mum doesn’t eat tuna so all the more for us😂Also growing up I recall a favourite dish, it was grated tapioca mixed with ripe bananas and baked like how they would do mumu in Rabaul. (pretty sure most Tolai kids ate this lol and probably every other kid in PNG) It’s the best!
Chicken and Greens cooked in bambo, a Goroka special
Irene Allan Weir wrote: Chicken and greens in bamboo accompanied by kaukau in ashes. Friend’s sister made this for me when I visited Goroka! Taste I still carry with me years later!
100 ways to cook bread fruit
Ruth Gami wrote: Couple of ways to cook breadfruit ;roast on fire,cream with coconut cream,mumu and not the least is fry. I love fried ones.
