Laulau is one of the oldest and most traditional dishes in Hawaiian cuisine — and it’s one of the most beautiful. Cubes of salted pork and butterfish are wrapped in tender taro leaves, then wrapped again in ti leaves, creating a neat bundle that looks like a little green package. The bundle is steamed for hours until the taro leaves melt down into something silky and almost spinach-like, the pork is fall-apart tender, and the fish has dissolved into the meat, creating a rich, mineral, deeply savory flavor that’s unlike anything else in the world.

If kalua pig is the showpiece of the Hawaiian feast, laulau is its heart. It’s the dish that connects you most directly to the land — made from taro leaves grown in lo’i (irrigated paddies), wrapped in ti leaves pulled from the yard, filled with pork and fish from the ‘aina and the sea. Every ingredient has roots in this place, and the technique of wrapping and steaming is purely Hawaiian.

The Tradition

Laulau predates European contact with Hawaii. The ancient Hawaiians wrapped fish, pork, and taro tops in ti and banana leaves and cooked them in the imu alongside the kalua pig. The word lau means “leaf” in Hawaiian — so laulau essentially means “leaf leaf” or “wrapped in leaves,” which is exactly what it is.

The use of taro leaves is significant. Taro (kalo) is the most sacred plant in Hawaiian culture, considered the elder sibling of the Hawaiian people in the creation story. Every part of the taro plant is used: the corm (root) is pounded into poi, and the leaves are used for laulau. Using the whole plant reflects the Hawaiian value of not wasting anything the ‘aina provides.

Today, laulau remains a fixture at luaus, family gatherings, and Hawaiian food restaurants. Places like Highway Inn, Helena’s Hawaiian Food, and Young’s Fish Market in Honolulu are famous for their laulau, each with their own style and ratio of pork to fish. For more on the feast traditions where laulau takes center stage, read our Talk Story: The Luau.

The hardest part of making laulau at home is sourcing the leaves:

Prepare the Ingredients

Wrap the Laulau

Steam

Serve

Tips

  • Don’t rush the steaming. Four hours is the minimum. Six is better. The difference between 3-hour and 5-hour laulau is the difference between tough taro leaves and silky ones.
  • Pressure cooker shortcut: An Instant Pot or pressure cooker can reduce cooking time to about 2 hours on high pressure. The results are good, though purists prefer the traditional steaming method.
  • The butterfish matters. It might seem like a small amount, but the fish fat melts into the pork during steaming and adds an incredible richness. Don’t skip it.
  • Freeze extra: Laulau freezes well in their ti leaf wrapping. Steam from frozen, adding extra time — about 1-2 hours for frozen bundles.
  • Collard green substitute: If you absolutely cannot find taro leaves, collard greens are the closest mainland substitute. They won’t taste identical, but the texture and cooking behavior are similar.

Prep Time: 45 minutes | Steam Time: 4-6 hours | Makes: 6-8 bundles