Palusami is a main dish from Samoa made with coconut milk. In the islands of Samoa, we use taro leaves and the Samoan corn-beef but here in America, my family can not live with out it so we use other substitute you can buy at the grocery store.
Very yummy when you can't have the real deal. I like to add finely chopped onion to my layers.
Read MoreThe recipe is either missing ingredients and steps or incorrectly assumes a certain level of expertise. Should I have cooked the corned beef hash before spreading it across the spinach leaves? Or, from some prior life experience, should I have known the answer to that question before I even searched Google for recipes? But really, why would I have cooked the corned beef hash? The recipe, a set of INSTRUCTIONS the steps of which when followed correctly create a predictable outcome, said nothing about cooking the corned beef hash. Clearly, if the corned beef hash was supposed to be cooked, the recipe would have so indicated. If the corned beef hash was supposed to be cooked and that step was omitted from the recipe then it's not a recipe. It's a notional collection of shared experiences. And why, after cooking 20 ounces of coconut milk at 350 for almost an hour, would it become anything other than 20 ounces of HOT coconut milk? How does that turn into a sauce? Shouldn't there be something that thickens the 20 ounces of hot coconut milk? I followed the recipe and ended up with a pan of hot spinach water. It took three flushes of the toilet to make it all go away.
Read MoreVery yummy when you can't have the real deal. I like to add finely chopped onion to my layers.
I made this in my slow-cooker (low setting for about six hours) and was pleased with the results. As suggested by other reviewers, I added one medium yellow onion, sliced. Coconut milk here comes in 13.5-ounce cans, leaving me with about half a can leftover, but a friend tells me you can just add both cans in their entirety, which I will probably do next time. I ate this with steamed white rice and it was quite good. Thanks for introducing me to something completely new.
Try shredded Pork, Chicken or Ground Beef in place of Corned Beef. Normally, I would use green onions or Garlic clove instead of white/yellow onions. Getting really creative can make a huge tasty difference to this dish. One last thought, season your cooked meat before adding to the whole mixture Tausami! (bon apetite)
This recipe is very good....I had to modify it a bit. Since I had boxes of frozen chopped spinach, I used it instead (squeezed most of the liquid out). I sautéed the corned beef with chopped onions. To the person who rated this recipe with just "one" star....I noticed you mentioned several times that you used corned beef "hash" instead (yuck!). You should have used just the regular canned corned beef as listed on the recipe (I use the Palm brand). Corned beef hash has a whole different taste and texture....that's where your mistake was!
The recipe is either missing ingredients and steps or incorrectly assumes a certain level of expertise. Should I have cooked the corned beef hash before spreading it across the spinach leaves? Or, from some prior life experience, should I have known the answer to that question before I even searched Google for recipes? But really, why would I have cooked the corned beef hash? The recipe, a set of INSTRUCTIONS the steps of which when followed correctly create a predictable outcome, said nothing about cooking the corned beef hash. Clearly, if the corned beef hash was supposed to be cooked, the recipe would have so indicated. If the corned beef hash was supposed to be cooked and that step was omitted from the recipe then it's not a recipe. It's a notional collection of shared experiences. And why, after cooking 20 ounces of coconut milk at 350 for almost an hour, would it become anything other than 20 ounces of HOT coconut milk? How does that turn into a sauce? Shouldn't there be something that thickens the 20 ounces of hot coconut milk? I followed the recipe and ended up with a pan of hot spinach water. It took three flushes of the toilet to make it all go away.
This is a great recipe! I had canned corned beef on hand & wanted to make something I've never made/tasted. I was so skeptical of this dish. But oh my, it completely satisfied my exotic food craving! Amazingly tasty & easy dish! (actually my "can't cook chef" husband made it :P) Thanks for this awesome recipe!!!!!
This had a very good and very interesting flavor. I did everything as written but will try onion next time as other reviewers said. I also did one can of coconut milk and one can of Light coconut milk to reduce the fat, and it was still yummy...nobody even noticed!
Very good! Thanks for the recipe. Never made it with spinach before, always had to wait around for the taro leaves, malo aupito!
This is a great alternative to the real version with Taro leaves. Great recipe!
Palusami is on of my favorite Samoan treats. I usually use collard greens or chard so I can wrap them like you would with the taro leaves. Make a pocket and fill it with the corned beef, coconut milk and some diced onions. I then close up the leaves to make a little ball of goodness and wrap in foil, it kinda looks like a little ball. I toss them all in the slow cooker for the day. It is the best combination of sweet, salty and bitter from the greens.
This turned out to be a great substitute for the real thing although I think next time i'll leave out the corned beef. And I think I'll use half coconut cream instead of all coconut milk since the consistency was a little watery. Other than that it was great!
We live on the East Coast and my husband is Samoan. I'm always looking for recipes to please his palate, but Samoan recipes are hard to find. This was yummy! I don't normally care for the canned corned beef myself, but I thought it was good. I love coconut milk. He LOVED it. Closest to the real thing! I added onions to mine, too. Thanks! Have a recipe for the half moom pies or fruit cocktail cake? :-)
I left Samoa in 1997 and miss my island. In Arizona now and have discovered a market where I can get Taro, Taro leaves, and coconut milk AND NZ Corned Beef!! This recipe is what I needed only I substituted Taro leaves mixed with the spinach leaves and individually wrapped a dozen in aluminum foil. Mmmmm!!!
I also like to make this with lamb which I learned with a family in Auckland, NZ. But my favorite with with the corn beef and taro from a local market.
I dont really like canned corned beef so I used corned beef that I made myself...not too hard, you can slow cook it and it even comes with the seasoning packet in most stores. but I followed the rest of recipe and it was great. Palu sami is so good! fattening yes but its a comforting reminder of home so I like to make it once in a while. Mahalos! ( or should I say Fa'afetai!)
I made this yesterday, and after reading the reviews of other people, i did added finely chopped onions to the corned beef, which i seasoned with garlic powder and a little adobo while i cooked it before making the layers. I only used one bag spinach, one can of corned beef and one can of organic coconut milk. Cooked it about 55 minutes and i let it rest for 10 minutes before serving. We had it we white rice on the side. It was a hit ??. Everyone loved it. Thanks for the recipe.
I've never had it but wanted to make something for my Samoan boyfriend. I really liked it as I've never had it before so I haven't anything to compare it to. I added the onions like others suggested and he inhaled nearly the entire 9x13 so... I guess that's a thumbs up from him! Thanks for the recipe :)
Thanks! For the new way of making it. I've boiled it in a pot with all the ingredients together too. For those wondering, you don't use corned beef hash. It's plain canned corned beef, use palm brand from new Zealand. You can get it at a lot of Asian markets or Wal-Mart.com
Please note that I'm rating this as someone who has never had palusami, so my rating is only for how much I like the dish, not for the authenticity of the recipe or how it compares to other versions. I had a variety of greens in my fridge, so I used a blend of collard greens and spinach; the collards are closer in consistency to taro from what I've read. This is a simple and cheap way to eat relatively healthy; I served it over barley. The corned beef does provide plenty of flavor - it kind of reminds me of how collards are prepared in the South. I thought it was a little too liquidy and could probably have been done with 1 13oz can of coconut milk, but I did use the light version.
Used deli sliced corned beef instead of the canned. This is a family favorite.
Years ago I had a missionary companion who was from Samoa and she made this dish regularly. In this recipe the ingredients are way way off, this came out nothing like the dish I remember and it was inedible.
Good base instructions for Palusami. I also use collared greens or kale (instead of spinach) just make sure to cook it a long time to soften the leaves. I also always add an onion (how my mom makes it)... To the reviewer that commented on Corned beef, this palusami uses corned beef (in a can) that is a staple in Samoan households... It's already cooked and NOT the type of corned beef you find in the meat aisle in grocery stores.
Thank you to the recipe writer and reviewers for this palusami recipe. I made this for my husband, who spoke fondly of his friends teaching him how to cook coconut milk in taro leaves in an omu during his stay in American Samoa. I was so happy to find a version of palusami I could make with spinach and a regular oven. I added two green onions to the spinach layers, sliced with cooking scissors, because we both like onions a lot. The version he was taught did not have corned beef in it, nor as much coconut milk, but he said this version is the best way he's ever eaten canned corned beef and brought back wonderful memories of Samoa. Thank you.
Well, I made the recipe and put in some onion and fresh garlic. Baked per recommendation and accompanied with jasmine rice. I would not rave about it as it seemed somewhat bland. It made a lot of liquid in the bottom of the baking dish. I probably would not make again.
Good, but I Texaned it up a bit. I used seasoned crispy pulled pork in place of the corned beef. Added onions, garlic, salt and pepper in the coconut milk. I appropriately squeezed the onions and garlic in the coconut milk with my hands before adding to the spinach and crispy pulled pork. All my Polynesian friends said it was better than the island recipe cooked in the umu.
I thought it was fine. Just wanted to address the idiot that didn't like the recipe. You used corned beef hash. You're supposed to use straight corned beef. No wonder it didn't work for you. Next time read the recipe.
