Serving size: Serves 10 or more
Cooking time: More than 1 hour
Course: Main

INGREDIENTS

Basic lap-lap
10 whole lap-lap or banana leaves
3 cups coconut milk
4 manioc roots, peeled and grated
4 plantain (green bananas), peeled and grated
Salt to taste
Tuluk - mini mince and manioc parcels
4 manioc roots, peeled and grated
4 cups cooked seasoned mince - cook mince with some onion, garlic and herbs
Bunya - vegetable and chicken lap-lap
10 lap-lap leaves
3 cups coconut milk
4 bunches English spinach (or island cabbage if available)
2 manioc roots, peeled and chopped
1 pumpkin, peeled and chopped
4 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
2 taro roots, peeled and chopped
1 small lap-lap leaf
1 whole chicken
10 green onions, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
Salt to taste

METHOD

Basic lap-lap
Peel ribs off lap-lap leaves in long strips; lay on the ground in a criss-cross pattern.

Soften lap-lap leaves over bonfire before layering on top of criss-cross pattern.

Drizzle coconut milk over centre of the lap-lap leaves. Keeping the piles separate, place manioc and plantain in the centre of the leaves, on top of the coconut milk. Drizzle with more coconut milk and season generously with salt.

Carefully wrap leaves over and around manioc and banana. Tie using ribs. Set aside while you prepare other lap-lap variations.

Tuluk - mini mince and manioc parcels
Soften one small lap-lap leaf over an open flame for each mini-parcel you prepare.
Place a large handful of grated manioc in the centre of each leaf. Flatten it slightly to create an indentation; fill with a small handful of mince mixture. Smooth manioc over mince to enclose in a ball shape. Wrap leaf carefully around manioc ensuring it is sealed tightly. Repeat with remaining manioc and mince

Bunya - vegetable and chicken lap-lap
Peel ribs off lap-lap leaves in long strips; lay on the ground in a criss-cross pattern.

Soften lap-lap leaves over bonfire before layering on top of criss-cross pattern.

Drizzle 1 cup coconut milk over centre of the lap-lap leaves. Pile spinach or cabbage in centre of leaves. Place vegetables around and over the spinach leaving a small gap in the centre.

Place small lap-lap leaf on top of spinach; place a hot stone in the centre and drizzle with one cup of the coconut milk.

Wrap stone in lap-lap leaf and top with chicken. Sprinkle whole pile with green onions, remaining coconut milk and tomatoes; season to taste with salt.

Wrap lap-lap leaves carefully and tie tightly into a secure bundle.