Taro, green banana and breadfruit are some ‘official’ staples in the Pacific, but we love our rice, too!
Samoans have several rice-based favourites, including koko alaisa and alaisa fa’apopo, but sua alaisa is probably the simplest to make.
Alaisa (or araisa) is the Samoan word for rice, and sua is what we call a soup or any very liquid-y dish. Sua alaisa is a sweet, creamy, comforting rice treat that we often have for dessert or a hearty breakfast… or sometimes even dinner if it’s one of those days.Â
Here’s how easy it is to make.
How We Do
Rinse a cup of short-grain white rice until the water runs clean, then to up with a litre or two of fresh water (depends on how thick you like your sua alaisa) and bring it to the boil.
Just before it starts to boil, add some fragrance. Samoans use lemon or lime leaves, but in our house, apparently, we also throw in kigamogi (bay leaves).
This was a tip my mother and cousin suggested, and it’s a keeper for me. I love the bit of herbal flavour the bay leaves add, especially how it plays off the sweetness of the dish.
Once the pot has boiled, turn the heat down and add in your coconut cream. Now, the kind of coconut cream you use makes a huge difference to the consistency of the sua alaisa.
Freshly grated and strained coconut flesh is obviously always the best choice, but if you have to use canned coconut cream, choose a brand like Kara, Fiafia, Solo’s Choice or Ayam.
From here, let the rice soup simmer for a while – mine took around 45 minutes. You’re just waiting for the rice grains to thicken up and get soft and for all the liquid to get creamy… and then you sweeten the pot to taste (my ‘taste’ needed about a cup and a half of raw sugar) and that’s it!
Time to enjoy your sua alaisa!