Paua Tahu

Te Ao Hou, March 1965, Page 3

Paua Tahu These are paua preserved in fat. Prepare desired number of paua, following instructions given above (see ‘to prepare for cooking’). Cover paua with cold water and bring to boil, turn down heat and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes or until paua are cooked. Remove paua from water and drain. Have ready a half-filled container of boiling, salt-free, pork fat. Drop drained paua into fat, one by one, so that each paua is completely covered by fat. Store in cool place when fat has set. Points to Note— (1) Do not add paua to boiling water as this makes them tough and stringy. Use cold water as stated above. (2) Draining is best done in a moderate oven, 350 deg. This is to ensure that the cooked paua is absolutely dry and free of moisture, an important factor in the keeping quality of the finished product. If any droplets of moisture adhere to the paua when it is dropped into the hot fat, these do not sink to the bottom of the container but form pockets between the paua and the fat. This causes tainting. (3) Do not pack paua into the container first, then cover with fat. This method does not completely cover each paua, and they will not keep. (4) Do not salt. This will also cause tainting (see number two above). This is the first of a series of articles on Maori cooking which the Turanganui Branch of the Maori Women's Welfare League is contributing to Te Ao Hou. The M.W.W.L. hopes in the future to publish a book on Maori cooking, and it is with this in mind that the Turanganui Branch has collected these recipes. It would be much appreciated if M.W.W.L. members with favourite recipes were to contribute them to the League's collection by sending them either to the Dominion Secretary, Maori Women's Welfare League, P.O. Box 5158, Wellington, or to the Secretary of the Turanganui Branch, at 5 Endeavour Street, Gisborne.