Samoan Beef in Coconut Cream (Povi Popo)

Povi popo, beef in coconut, is the Samoan take on a slow-braised pot roast. Cattle were introduced to Samoa in the 1800s, and once beef became part of island cooking, cooks found that nothing tames a tough cut like a long simmer in coconut cream. The sauce reduces into a thick, sweet gravy that Samoans pour over boiled taro, breadfruit, or rice.

What makes it great: patience does the work here — an hour of gentle simmering turns inexpensive beef into fork-tender pieces coated in a glossy, savory-sweet sauce. The coconut cream mellows and sweetens as it reduces, and the whole pot fills the house with the most comforting smell in the Samoan kitchen.

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