Entree: New Zealand – Maori Cuisine – Hāngī (Meat and root vegetables slow-cooked in an earthen pit over heated stones)

Serving Size: 6

Approximate Time

Prep 30 min

Cook 3 hrs 30 min

Total 3 hrs 30 min

Ingredients

- 1 pork shoulder, bone-in, approx. 3.5 lb (1.6 kg)
- 1 whole chicken, about 3 lb (1.4 kg), trussed or halved
- 3 lb (1.4 kg) kumara sweet potatoes, scrubbed
- 2 lb (900 g) white potatoes, scrubbed
- 2 lb (900 g) pumpkin or squash, peeled and cut into large chunks
- 1 medium cabbage, quartered
- 2 large onions, quartered
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) sea salt
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil for rubbing meats
- Fresh thyme or bay leaves, a few sprigs
- Damp hessian cloths or heavy towels for covering
- Wire baskets or heavy oven-safe racks for stacking parcels (optional)
- Banana leaves or foil for wrapping parcels (enough to line and wrap)
- Large stones suitable for heating and pit construction

Instructions

1. Season the pork shoulder and chicken with salt, pepper and oil, rubbing herbs under the skin of the chicken and onto the pork. Let rest while you prepare vegetables.
2. Wash and prepare kumara, potatoes, pumpkin, cabbage and onions into large pieces that will hold up to long cooking. Toss vegetables lightly with a little salt.
3. Traditional pit method: dig a pit large enough for the hot stones and food. Build a large wood fire over the stones and heat them until glowing and very hot, about 2 to 3 hours. Push aside remaining embers and carefully arrange the hot stones to form the base layer.
4. Place the pork and chicken directly on the hot stones or in wire baskets layered with vegetables. Alternate layers of meat and vegetables, placing denser items like kumara and pumpkin closest to the stones and lighter items on top. Tuck in sprigs of thyme or bay leaves.
5. Cover the stacked food with banana leaves or clean damp cloths, then with a tight layer of wet hessian or towels, and finally with earth or turf to seal the pit. Let steam undisturbed for 3 to 5 hours depending on the size of the meats, checking cautiously after 3 hours; meat should be tender and vegetables soft.
6. Oven/steamer alternative: Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Wrap meats in heavy foil and place on a low rack over a deep roasting pan filled with a little water. Cover the meats and vegetables tightly with foil and bake for 3 to 4 hours until meats are falling-apart tender. A large commercial steamer may also be used with baskets layered and steamed for 3 to 4 hours.
7. Remove coverings carefully to avoid steam burns, unwrap parcels and transfer meats and vegetables to a serving platter. Carve the pork and chicken and serve with kumara, potatoes, pumpkin and cabbage.