Mokwan (Pandanus Paste)
How to make it
- Families and friends create um (earth oven).
- Pull pandanus keys off and wash.
- Place in um and cook for many hours.
- Unearth from um and cool on coconut fronds.
- Macerate to create a juicy paste, add to cooking pot and simmer until it changes colour to red or light brown.
- Spread paste on banana leaves to dry, turning now and again over a number of days to dry.
- Once dry, roll into pandanus leaves tightly to seal.
- Dried pandanus paste, mokwan, can be soaked and mashed, eaten as a nutritious snack.