Samoan Koko Alaisa

Koko alaisa is Samoa’s comfort breakfast: rice simmered until soft in coconut milk, sweetened and enriched with dark Samoan cocoa. It is the meal grandmothers make on cool mornings and after church, often cooked in big pots for the whole family.

The bittersweet cocoa cuts the coconut’s richness perfectly, and the soft, porridgey rice makes it deeply soothing. Sweeten to your taste and eat it warm, maybe with a slice of fresh papaya.

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