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Unusual recipe: Pumpkin Beru, to go with “Ideas from a Tropical Island” in “Sunday Lessons and Activities for Kids”

One of the delightful stories in Sunday Lessons and Activities for Kids is by Helen Claire Sievers, who spent many years on the island of Kwajalein in the Pacific’s Marshall Islands. She tells the story of the first LDS meeting on Ebeye (which was a Primary class), and the conversion of an Ambassador to the United Nations from that Primary class. Read “Too Few Children in Primary: Ideas from a Tropical Island” by Helen Claire Sievers, in Sunday Lessons and Activities for Kids, edited by Marci McPhee. Available on Amazon or contact Marci for an autographed copy: marcimcpheewriter (at) gmail (dot) com.

Enjoy this recipe for pumpkin beru from the Marshall Islands, featuring a unique cooking method: boiling in plastic sandwich bags! The result is a yummy side dish or dessert that tastes like a pumpkin custard, or pumpkin pie without the crust.

Download the free printable recipe here: Marshallese Recipe – Pumpkin Beru

Pumpkin Beru from the Marshall Islands

(Pronounced BAY-rhoo)

TIME: Prep: 25 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

Total: 40 minutes

Chill: 2 hours or overnight

 

SERVINGS: about 30 small (¼ c.) servings

WHAT YOU NEED:

  • 1 can (13½ oz) coconut milk
  • 1 c. tapioca starch (or tapioca flour – same thing) (Goya, Bob’s Red Mill, Hodgson Mill etc.)
  • 1 can (29 oz) pumpkin pie mix*
  • Sandwich bags with a fold-lock top (NOT Ziploc top)

METHOD: Put a covered pot of water to boil. Mix the tapioca starch and the pumpkin mixture. Stir in the coconut milk. Pour about 1/4 c. in the corner of a sandwich bag. (For easier handling, open the bag in the palm of your hand, or in a cup.) Knot the top of the bag securely. Place in boiling water for about 15 minutes until it turns caramel color. Chill and serve. To eat, cut or bite off the tip, then squeeze the beru as you eat.

* (OR substitute 2 c. fresh or 1 can [29 oz.] canned pumpkin, plus 1¼ c sugar, cinnamon & nutmeg, to taste)

 

Download the free printable recipe here: Marshallese Recipe – Pumpkin Beru