Umu pulled pork with orange and garlic recipe

Christall's umu pulled pork is inspired by the similarities between Mayan and Māori cooking methods. Photo / Christall Lowe

This recipe from inspiring new book Kai Feast is worth the time.

I call this “umu pulled pork” because we first made this in the backyard, using fire and hāngī stones to create our umu.

Umu is a Māori word for oven, or earth oven, and this recipe was inspired by seeing the traditional Mayan way of cooking “cochinita pibil” underground, which they still make in the Yucatán Peninsula. Cochinita means piglet, and pibil comes from the Mayan word “piib” meaning to cook underground.

I was so intrigued by the similarities between Mayan and Māori cooking methods, and was inspired to do something similar with our local ingredients. Cooking the pork with freshly squeezed orange juice makes for melt-in-your-mouth succulent, tender meat. Of course, this doesn’t have to be cooked underground — it’s just as delicious cooked in the oven.

Tip: If using a slow cooker, cook for 5-6 hours on high, or 8-10 hours on low.

Kai Feast: Food Stories & Recipes From The Maunga To The Moana by Christall Lowe, $60, published by Bateman Books.

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