Samoa

 Welcome to Samoa!  This place looks beautiful.  To be fair, it is in the South Pacific, and everything there looks stunning, but this may be a fun place to visit!  Waterfalls, beaches, palm trees - take me there!  I found it interesting that when Western Samoa became independent in the 60's, it was the first Pacific Island nation to do so!  Western Samoa changed its name to Samoa in the form of a constitutional amendment in 1997.  According to Google, the population of Samoa is 202,506 people, and the capital is Apia.  Their national dish is...

 

Pani Popo!

It's a coconut dinner roll.  Very similar to a Hawaiian Sweet Roll.  I learned that Hawaiian Sweet Rolls are sweetened with pineapple, and and Pani Popo is sweetened with coconut.  Interesting!  Since you can't just have rolls for dinner (OK, maybe you can...), I decided to make Sapa Sui as well.  Sapa Sui is the Samoan version of Chop Suy.  This was the first recipe I followed off of a video, so that made it very interesting!  The video is worth watching - I want to be her friend!  Here's what I did:

PANI POPO

Rolls

1 package active dry yeast

3 tbsp warm water

1 C coconut milk

4 tbsp butter

1 egg

1/4 C powdered milk

1/2 C sugar

1/2 tsp salt

3 1/2 C gluten free flour

 

Sauce

1 can coconut milk

1/2 C sugar

1 tbsp corn starch

1. Combine lukewarm water and yeast in a stand mixer.  Let the yeast dissolve (about 5 minutes).
2. Combine coconut milk, butter, sugar and salt, and microwave until everything is melted, about 90 seconds.
3. Lightly whisk the egg and powdered milk into the butter mixture.
4. Combine the butter/egg mixture with the yeast mixture.
5. Mix for about two minutes on medium speed.
6. Add the flour, and continue mixing, until just combined.
7. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead for about three minutes - the dough should be sticky, so don't add too much flour.
8. Place the dough into a greased bowl, cover with a clean cloth, and let it rise until doubled, about 2 hours.
9. Punch the dough down.
10. Divide the dough into 12 pieces, and shape into balls.
11. Place the balls into a baking pan and pour the sauce over the rolls (they will be sitting in the sauce).
1. To make the sauce, mix all the ingredients until combined.
   
12. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
13. Remove, and serve warm!

(Source: Pani Popo)

SAPA SUI

1 package Vermicelli rice noodles

1 lb chicken, chopped into bite-sized pieces

2 - 1/4 C tbsp peanut oil

1 onion

1 C Soy sauce

2 carrots,

1 tbsp peeled and crushed ginger

6 cloves garlic, crushed

1 C water

Pepper to taste

1. Place the chicken and a little bit of water (about 1/2 C) in a large pot, and cook it for 15 minutes, until cooked. 
2. Put the Vermicelli noodles in cold water and let them soak until ready to use.
3. Crush the garlic and ginger (you may need to cut the ginger as well - I did).
4. Chop the onion in quarters, and slice thinly.
5. Use some scissors, and cut the noodles into smaller pieces.  They don't need to be even - just go at it!
6. Drain the extra water in the chicken.
7. Add the peanut oil to the chicken.
8. Add half the onion, and stir.
9. Add the garlic, and stir.
10. Add the ginger, and stir.
11. Add the remaining onion, stir, and let it cook for another 3 minutes.
12. Add enough Soy sauce to cover the meat - it's A LOT of Soy sauce.  Let the meat sit and cook for about 5 minutes.
13. Drain the water from the noodles, and add the noodles to the meat mixture a little at a time, stirring after each addition.
14. Continue to stir until all the noodles turn brown.
15. You can add a little bit of water if there isn't enough moisture - but only add 1 C at a time.
16. Cover and let it sit for 5 minutes.
17. Enjoy!

(Source: Sapa Sui or Sapa Sui)

The verdict?  Mixed reviews.  The Sapa Sui was very salty, from all the Soy sauce.  However, it was very good!  In the video version, she used beef - I'd like to try it with beef next time.  It was pretty fun doing the recipe off of a video - I look forward to doing more of those!  I loved how in the video, she told you that if you're cooking for 5 people, make enough for 40 or more!  The Pani Popo was interesting.  First off, I really dislike baking with gluten free flour.  I have not mastered this, and it rarely turns out the way it should.  If you make this recipe and are able to use regular flour, I would do that!  The rolls were not fluffy and cloud-like as they were supposed to be.  They were dense and brick-like.  It was very interesting cooking them in the sauce, because the bottoms of the rolls were gooey.  Not raw-gooey, but just gooey.  By themselves, they weren't super, but they really helped with the saltiness of the Sapa Sui.  We kept some for leftovers, to see how they reheated, and I actually liked them better reheated!  The taste and texture kinda grew on me.  So, it wasn't a complete fail; I just took some time to come around :-) 

 

 

ME

Taste of Pani Popo (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 5

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 5

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Pani Popo (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 6

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor):4

 

ME

Taste of Sapa Sui (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 6

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 5

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Sapa Sui (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 6

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor):4

 

Please join us next time as we head over to Azerbaijan!