Cook Islands Banana Poke
A baked dessert of very ripe bananas and tapioca starch, served with warm coconut cream. Serves 6; times are approximate.
Banana poke is a Cook Islands dessert with a stretchy texture and an amber interior. This version combines cooked bananas with tapioca starch, bakes the mixture covered, then browns it uncovered. Serve it with warm coconut cream.
Ingredient allergens
Allergen listThere are no verified associations for these ingredients yet.
Method
- 01
Cook the bananas
Peel and slice the bananas, then place them in a heavy-based pot over medium heat. Cook for about 10 minutes, mashing them with a wooden spoon until creamy and without large lumps.
Ready to continue when: The bananas form a creamy mixture without large lumps and have darkened slightly.
10 min - 02
Stir in the starch
Lower the heat. Add the tapioca starch in several batches, stirring constantly and scraping up from the bottom. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is very thick and clings to the spoon.
Ready to continue when: The mixture is heavy, very thick and sticky, with no dry patches of starch.
5 min - 03
Prepare the baking dish
Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Grease an ovenproof dish with some of the vegetable oil. Transfer the mixture while still hot, smooth the surface with a damp spatula, and cover the dish tightly with foil.
Temperature: 200 °C / 392 °FReady to continue when: The mixture is spread in an even layer and the dish is tightly covered with foil.
3 min - 04
Bake covered
Bake the poke covered for 50 minutes at 200 °C. Carefully lift one edge of the foil to check the center.
Temperature: 200 °C / 392 °FReady to continue when: The mixture looks translucent and amber all the way through; it jiggles elastically when pressed gently.
50 min - 05
Brown the top
If the center is still white and cloudy, cover the dish again and bake for another 10 minutes at 200 °C. Once it is translucent through the center, remove the foil, brush the top with the remaining oil, and raise the oven temperature to 230 °C. Bake for about 10 minutes, until browned.
Temperature: 230 °C / 446 °FReady to continue when: The top is dark brown, the edges are bubbling, and the mixture springs back when pressed gently.
10 min - 06
Warm the coconut cream and serve
While the poke bakes, warm the coconut cream in a small saucepan over low heat for 5–8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve it warm over the freshly baked poke; let the center cool slightly before eating.
Ready to continue when: The coconut cream bubbles gently and has thickened slightly.
8 min
Ingredients
Sources and review
Content researched, cross-checked and automatically validated. Sources consulted:
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State: Published after documentary validation; no “Tested” label is shown.