Traditional New Zealand Polynesian Cooking: Māori Hāngī & Samoan Umu Chicken
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A culinary exploration of New Zealand's traditional earth oven and fire cooking techniques, showcasing the Māori Hāngī (underground steam cooking) and the Samoan Umu (above-ground hot stone cooking).
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🍳 Cooking Flow
Heat volcanic rocks over a wood fire until they are red-hot. → Season meat and root vegetables, then wrap them in large leaves and place in wire baskets. → Lower the baskets into the pit, cover with wet sheets, and bury completely with dirt to steam for 2 hours (Hāngī). → Alternatively, stuff hot rocks inside a whole chicken, wrap in banana leaves, and bake on a hearth with external hot stones for 27 minutes (Umu).
Cooking Steps
Brief Cooking Order
Heat volcanic rocks over a wood fire until they are red-hot. → Season meat and root vegetables, then wrap them in large leaves and place in wire baskets. → Lower the baskets into the pit, cover with wet sheets, and bury completely with dirt to steam for 2 hours (Hāngī). → Alternatively, stuff hot rocks inside a whole chicken, wrap in banana leaves, and bake on a hearth with external hot stones for 27 minutes (Umu).
Introduction
A culinary exploration of New Zealand's traditional earth oven and fire cooking techniques, showcasing the Māori Hāngī (underground steam cooking) and the Samoan Umu (above-ground hot stone cooking).
Step 1
Prepare the Hāngī pit by digging a rectangular hole in the ground and building a large wood fire on top of volcanic stones to heat them until white-hot.
Step 2
Prepare the food by seasoning the meat (chicken, lamb, pork) with sea salt and wrapping them alongside root vegetables in banana or cabbage leaves inside wire baskets.
Step 3
Move the hot stones to one side of the pit, clear out the excess ash/embers, and flatten the hot rocks at the bottom.
Step 4
Place the food baskets into the pit, raised slightly off the hot rocks to prevent burning, then cover with banana leaves and a wet sheet to create steam.
Step 5
Quickly shovel soil over the wet sheets, completely burying the Hāngī to seal in all the heat and steam. Let it cook underground for about 2 hours.
Ingredients List
Important Notes
Ensure you only use specific volcanic or basalt rocks for Hāngī or Umu, as wet river stones containing trapped water can explode when heated.
The dirt seal on the Hāngī must be completely airtight; if steam is seen escaping, shovel more dirt over the crack immediately.
Hāngī relies heavily on steam, so the sheets and sacks covering the food must be thoroughly soaked in clean water before placement.
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