2. Hāngī (Hah / ngee)

3. Hāngī is the traditional Māori method of cooking food in the ground, an earth oven. In some places this is also called an umu. Carved bowls and flat rocks were also used for this purpose. Leaves, sticks and vegetation were used to cover the food and to prevent crushing from the weight of the earth on top. Food was laid out on clean sticks, bark, large leaves and other vegetation to minimize direct contact with the hot rocks and reduce burning.

4. Today hāngī are usually only cooked for special celebrations like birthdays (rā whānau), weddings (mārena) and for family or iwi, hapū gatherings like tangi and hui. The process for cooking a hāngī has been adapted as different tools and resources became available. However the basic concept is still the same, steaming the food in the ground.

5. Prepare the Hāngī pit Dig a hole that is big enough to fit: - the amount of food (kai) you are going to cook - the wood and hāngī stones - containers holding the food (kai), such as wire baskets. Making a Hāngi Modern Hāngī – today people cook food in a gas steamer and call it Hāngī i. However it lacks the true smokey flavour of a traditional Hāngī.

6. Hāngi Stones Hāngi stones must be able to withstand high heat without chipping or crumbling. Volcanic rocks are good, sometimes people use bricks or steel or iron bars. Large stones of brick size or bigger are better as they hold the heat needed. The stones are normally heated in a large wood fire. A lattice of strong wood beams helps support the stones until they fall into the pit. It usually takes one and a half to two and a half hours to burn the wood to heat the rocks to the right temperature.

7. Laying the Hāngi When the fire has burned down the ash and coal are removed. Water (wai) is sprayed quickly onto the rocks to remove any loose ash. This creates a rush of steam so this has to be done carefully to avoid being burnt. Hessian cloth or sacks are soaked overnight in water (wai). These are laid on top of the heated stones to help protect the food and provide more water for steam. The baskets and hessian sacks are quickly covered with loose soil from the original pit to seal in heat and steam. Some people use other materials like canvas to help seal in the steam. The baskets are packed with food and placed on top of the the hot rocks and then covered with more soaked hessian sacks to keep the dirt away. Some people put cabbage and other leaves over the food first before the sacks go on.

8. Lifting the Hāngi It can take up to 3 or 4 hours to cook depending on the amount of food (kai). Its better to leave the food in too long than to pull it up before the food is cooked. Care must be taken when uncovering the hāngī because of the steam and heat. The aroma coming from the hāngī as it is opened is mouth watering.

9. Kai in a Hāngi And even purini tima, steamed pudding Vegetable - Huawhenua riwai potato kumara kāpeti cabbage paukena pumpkin Meat - mīti poaka pork heihei chicken hipi mutton Its become common practice to make up single serve packs to cook in a hāngī to make it easier to plan for numbers and to serve out.

10. Haere mai ki te kai – come and eat Tino Reka Delicious Kina Paua Kai reka - desserts Huamata - salads Hāngī Kōnae – small baskets to serve the food