huuu werewolves of London. That song. Remember it from the ’80s? If not, I hope you know what he is.
Author and YouTube personality Paula Lujan Quinene shares nostalgic recipes in her Guam Mama Cooks column in the Pacific Daily News.
The young coconut dumpling soup was popularly served in white Styrofoam cups at nobenas and rosaries. During the winter months stateside, it will keep you cozy and warm.
Åhu is a CHAMORU favorite on Guåhån and around the world wherever islanders plant their feet.
I love månha — the soft, gel-like stage of a coconut that is used to make ahu. Who doesn’t?
Young coconuts are used to make the Guam dumpling soup known as ahu.
I have memories of drinking månha juice from the little hole and trying not to get it all over me; memories of scooping soft fruit out with the spoon made from the månha husk; memories of eating the månha shell at just the right stage of crunchy goodness; memories of my dad picking månha in the backyard so I could bring it to FB Leon Guerrero Middle School for Mrs. San Nicolas’ Chamoru class.
How in the world do I have all these food memories? I’m glad I get to write about them and share them with you… and I hope it helps to stir some of your own happy and delicious food collections.
A side of a young coconut is sliced with a machete to create a hole from which to drink the water inside.
Fast forward nearly 30 odd years to memories, pictures and video recordings of my dad collecting månha for me so I can take it back to North Carolina for åhu, månha titiyas, sweet tamåle mendioka, månha pie, and apigige’ … and even just to have enough for snacking.
I hope that nature, with the help of the people of Guåhån, wins the fight against the coconut rhinoceros beetles on island. How would we live without our coconut trees?
Do you like the transparent or white ahu, or the brown ahu? Or do you prefer to eat it hot or cold?
For me, both are equally delicious while hot. Brown ahu is colored as such by caramelizing the granulated sugar before adding the water.
Månha, the soft, gel-like stage of a coconut that is used to make ahu.
Some people like using the fresh månha juice in åhu — some don’t. My Grandma Cruz did, but my mom doesn’t.
If you are using fresh månha and the juice is sweet, you may use the juice in place of some of the water; you’ll also have to adjust the amount of sugar you’ll need.
If you are using canned månha, discard the solution it comes in and use regular water.
I’ve included the recipe for both versions below as well as a link to a video on how to make the white åhu.
Brown ahu is created by caramelizing the granulated sugar before adding the water.
Ahu
Set 1
- 2 cups young coconut, chopped
- 1½ to 2 cups tapioca starch
Set 2
- 12 cups of water
- 1½ cups of granulated sugar
Set 3
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon of water
Tools: Medium bowl, large pot, small bowl, long wooden spoon and ladle.
In the medium bowl, mix the young coconut with 1½ cups of tapioca starch. If necessary, add a little bit of water to form an easy-to-stir paste.
In the large pot, combine 12 cups of water and 1 ½ cups of sugar. Bring to a gentle boil. Taste the water and add more sugar if desired.
Pinch månha mixture and drop a small “ball” into the boiling water. Wait for 2 to 3 minutes and look to see if a gel forms around the månha pieces.
If not, add about a ½ cup of tapioca starch to the bowl of mixture and stir, adding a little bit of water if needed.
Continue to drop balls of the månha/tapioca into the gently boiling water until you’ve finished the mixture.
When you have about one-fourth of the paste left in the bowl, turn the heat up and bring the åhu to a gentle boil — more than a simmer.
Boil a few minutes till thickened, stirring along the way. Work quickly to reduce the total length of time the åhu is at a simmer.
Simmering too long can cause the ohu to lose its thickness. Stir only when needed to move the gel pieces around that settle on the bottom of the pot to keep them from burning.
Stirring too much can also reduce the gel-like consistency of the starch, making your ahu runny.
Mix 1 tablespoon of water with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in the small bowl. Pour into the ahu then stir and simmer for two minutes to cook the cornstarch taste out.
Once done, cool completely before covering the pot. This may be kept in the fridge then reheated when ready to eat.
Brown ahu is created by caramelizing the granulated sugar before adding the water.
Brown Ahu
Caramelized sugar changes the perception of sweetness, thus you need to use a little more sugar in brown ȧhu compared to white ȧhu.
However, adding more sugar reduces the effectiveness of tapioca starch to gelatinize or thicken.
To resolve these issues, I use a little bit of salt. Salt helps maintain the ability of the starch to thicken in the presence of too much sugar, and salt enhances the flavor and the perception of sweetness.
Also, I use a bit more cornstarch and water to thicken the brown åhu than my white åhu recipe.
Set 1
- 2 15-ounce cans of young coconut meat, or about 2 generous cups of meat only, measured then chopped
- 1½ to 2 cups tapioca starch
Set 2
- 3 tablespoons of cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons room temperature water
Set 3
Set 4
- 8 cups warm water
- ½ teaspoon regular table salt
- ½ cup granulated sugar
Tools: Medium bowl, large pot, measuring pitcher, long wooden spoon and a ladle.
In a medium bowl, mix young coconut and tapioca starch together to form a cohesive mass. If you like very thick nuggets of gelled månha pieces in your ahu, use all the two cups of starch.
If you like it somewhat thick, use only 1 ½ cups. If the mixture doesn’t make a thick paste, add a bit of water to pull it all together. Set aside.
In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and water together. You’ll start out using half of this then add more if you want it thicker. Set aside.
Pour ¾ cup granulated sugar into a large pot. Heat on medium heat until sugar melts. This will melt fast.
Stir when most of the sugar is melted as your pot/burner might have a hot spot where the sugar can burn. Caramelize sugar to a rich, dark brown.
Once the sugar starts to form foamy bubbles on the surface, it’s time to add a bit of water.
Using a measuring pitcher and keeping your other hand out of the pot as it will bubble like crazy, pour a little bit of the warm water into the caramelized sugar, about 2 tablespoons.
Stir vigorously to incorporate. Continue to add just a bit of water to the caramel, standing back at first, then stirring very well.
When the water does not cause a bubbling reaction in the pot, add all the remaining water for a total of 8 cups only. Stir to combine.
Add a ½ teaspoon of salt and a ½ cup of granulated sugar. Stir to mix. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
Use your fingers to grab a bit of the coconut-tapioca starch paste and drop in small pieces into the simmering water. Work quickly to reduce the total length of time the åhu is at a simmer.
Simmering too long can cause the ohu to lose its thickness. Stir only when needed to move the gel pieces around that settle on the bottom of the pot, to keep them from burning.
Stirring too much can also reduce the gel-like consistency of the starch, making your ahu runny.
When you have about one-fourth of the paste left in the bowl, turn the heat up and bring the ahu to a gentle boil. Quickly work to finish up the paste. Once all the paste is in the pot, boil for 5 minutes.
Stir the cornstarch mixture then add half of it to the pot. Stir and boil gently for 30 seconds. If you want it thicker, add the rest.
Boil 2 minutes to cook out the cornstarch flavour. Leave uncovered for 10 minutes to set before serving. It will thicken as it sets.
Leave uncovered until it’s at room temperature before storing in the fridge. If you cover while it’s hot, it can make your huhu runny.
Once fridge-cold, you may freeze the ahu. It Thaws and reheats wonderfully in the microwave or stovetop.
Sometimes I thaw on the counter overnight, sometimes I use the defrost button on the microwave. Either way, it’s great.
Husking a young coconut to get to the månha, the soft, gel-like stage of a coconut that is used to make ahu.
Watch the video
Watch my YouTube video on how to make åhu at bit.ly/3hEMoMC.
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