Hangi Makes Volunteers Happy

As the first semester comes to a close, the manager of OUSA's Student Support Centre, Matt, decided that it was we should do a hangi for all the students who have volunteered for OUSA during the semester.  Yahoo!!  We love hangi!

A hangi is an earth oven and the best known traditional form of cooking for Maori.  After check with my Maori colleagues, hangi can also be used as the term for the food cooked in the earth oven.  Hence, you can eat hangi cooked in a hangi.  :)

Traditionally, a hole is dug in the ground and heated stones are placed in the hole.  Wood is then added, and then food is placed in order from bottom to top - meat, vegetables, desserts.  The food is covered with flax or leaves and buried under dirt.  It cooks for at least three hours before being removed and served.

In modern times, traditional hangis seem to only be done for special occasions - weddings, funerals, other large celebrations.  The coolest thing is that even when you don't have anywhere you can dig a hole, you can use a modern day hangi cooker and make a hangi in your backyard!

While the fours hours it's cooking might be calm, the two hours before is a crazy time of chopping veggies, prepping meats, and making puddings (desserts...not actual puddings).

Squash with stuffing

Matt (looking possessed) and Kitty prepping the veggies

Lining baskets with cabbage

Meat!

Manuka chips in the bottom of the hangi machine

Loading up the layers, meat on the bottom, then veggies, then puddings.

Well done, Mr. Tucker!

Locking the food in for steaming

 

Kai means food in Maori

Attach to gas bottle and wait 4 hours.

Actually, in the intervening (and pictureless) time, Matt let the manuka chips smoke for about 20 minutes.  After that, he added water to the tray at the bottom.  From there, the whole thing steamed for about 4 hours. And then, we opened it.

Done!

Unstacking the trays

Once again, job well done, Mr. Tucker!

HANGI!!! Yum!!

I can't even begin to tell you how excited our volunteers and OUSA staff members were to come and partake of the hangi.  It was fun to prepare and great to share.  Thanks, Matt!!