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Meat, Africa and overseas

Pua’a chou, Tahitian pork and cabbage with rice

Pua'a chou is a Tahitian dish of pork simmered with white cabbage, served with rice. It takes 2 hours for 4 servings, rated easy, at €2.40 per serving. The key is letting the cabbage simmer long enough to turn soft and slightly sweet.

Tonight we're slow cooking a Tahitian style pua'a chou, melting pork with cabbage, served with white rice.

Pua’a chou, Tahitian pork and cabbage with rice
Total time
2 h
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€2.40
Calories per person
530 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Spring, Fall
The kids
They generally like it

Pua'a chou comes from Tahiti and Reunion Island, where pork simmers with cabbage until both turn tender. The meat falls apart with a fork, the cabbage loses its crunch and turns mildly sweet, carried by ginger and soy sauce. White rice soaks up the cooking juices and rounds out the plate without stealing the show.

This is a Sunday dish, or a weeknight one when it's cold out, the kind that simmers quietly while you do something else. Kids tend to love the soft pork and the rice that comes with it. Mon Chou walks you through the one thing that matters most here, not pulling the cabbage off the heat too soon.

The ingredients

4 people

Butcher

  • Pork shoulder steak 800 g

Fruits and vegetables

  • White cabbage 1
  • Onion 2
  • Garlic 3 cloves
  • Fresh ginger 1 tsp

Pantry

  • Soy sauceoften in the pantry 3 tbsp
  • Riceoften in the pantry 300 g
  • Oiloften in the pantry 2 tbsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Allergens Gluten, Soy

The step by step recipe

  1. Cut the pork shoulder steak into large cubes and brown them on all sides in oil in a Dutch oven. 10 min

    Pat the meat dry with paper towels before searing it, it browns better.

  2. Add the sliced onions, garlic, grated ginger and soy sauce, then cover with water halfway up and let it simmer. 45 min

    Fresh ginger gives the sharp edge that balances the richness of the pork.

  3. Cut the cabbage into wide strips, add it to the pot and stir it in.

    Pack the cabbage down with a spoon, it shrinks by half as it cooks.

  4. Let it simmer covered until the cabbage is soft and the pork falls apart with a fork. 50 min

    If the liquid reduces too much, add half a glass of hot water, never cold.

  5. Cook the rice in salted water, drain it and serve it alongside the juicy pua'a chou. 11 min

    Spoon a bit of the cooking juices over the rice, that's how it's eaten in Tahiti.

Our tips to get it right

  • Pick a cut of pork with some fat on it, it stays moist after two hours of simmering instead of drying out.
  • Cut the cabbage into fairly wide strips, it shrinks a lot during cooking and thin shreds would disappear entirely.
  • Taste the broth before serving and add a splash more soy sauce if you want more punch, long cooking mellows the flavors.

The variations

  • Swap the pork shoulder steak for pork shoulder roast, it turns even more tender after a long simmer.
  • For a meatless version, use mushrooms and firm tofu instead of pork, cutting the simmer time to about 25 minutes.
  • To make it faster, cut the meat into smaller cubes and the cabbage thinner, which brings the total cooking time down to around 1 hour.

What to serve it with

  • A cold glass of lemon water
  • Pickled vegetables on the side
  • A vinegared cucumber salad to start

Storage

Pua'a chou keeps for 2 to 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container. It freezes well for up to 2 months, without the rice. Reheat it gently with a splash of water to bring back the juices.

Questions about this dish

Can you make pua'a chou ahead of time?

Yes, it's even better reheated the next day since the flavors have had time to blend. Make it the day before and reheat it gently, serving it with freshly cooked rice.

What cut of pork works if I don't have a shoulder steak?

Pork shoulder or ham hock both work well, they're cuts that hold up to long cooking without drying out. Avoid lean cuts like tenderloin, they'd turn dry.

Can you freeze pua'a chou?

Yes, freeze the pork and cabbage together in their juices, but skip the rice since it doesn't freeze well. It keeps for up to 2 months and reheats gently straight from frozen.

Can you swap the white cabbage for something else?

Green cabbage works too, though it stays a bit firmer even after two hours of cooking. White cabbage still gets closest to the soft, sweet result of the original recipe.

How long does it take to make a pua'a chou with rice?

Count 2 h in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in a pua'a chou with rice?

About 530 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a pua'a chou with rice cost?

About €2.40 per serving, or €9.60 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains gluten, soy. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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