Hāngī – Earth Oven Feast

About This Recipe

Hāngī is the cornerstone of Māori communal cooking, practised for centuries across Aotearoa New Zealand. Volcanic or river stones are heated in a fire, then lowered into a pit lined with wire baskets filled with seasoned meats and root vegetables. The pit is covered with wet sacking and earth, trapping steam and heat for several hours. The result is incredibly tender, smoky-sweet food that carries deep cultural significance and is central to tangihanga, hui, and celebrations.

Ingredients

Serves 20

• 4 kgbone-in chicken pieces
• 3 kgbone-in lamb shoulder, cut into pieces
• 2 kgpork ribs
• 1.5 kgkumara (orange sweet potato), peeled and halved
• 1 kgpotatoes, peeled and halved
• 1 kgpumpkin, cut into large chunks
• 500 gstuffing (bread, onion, sage, butter)
• 2 tbspsalt
• 1 tbspblack pepper
• 4 clovesgarlic, crushed
• 2 tbspvegetable oil
• 20 pieceslarge volcanic or river stones
• 4 largehessian sacks, soaked in water
• 2 pieceswire mesh baskets or tinfoil trays

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the pit

   Dig a pit roughly 1 metre wide and 60 cm deep. Line the bottom with your large stones and build a hardwood fire on top. Burn for at least 2–3 hours until the stones are white-hot and glowing.

2. 2

   Season the meat

   Mix salt, pepper, garlic and oil. Rub generously over all meat pieces. Prepare the stuffing mixture and stuff into the chicken cavities.

3. 3

   Lower the stones

   Using long-handled shovels, carefully remove the fire embers and lower the hot stones into the pit base. Work quickly to preserve the heat.

4. 4

   Load the baskets

   Place meat in the lower wire basket directly on the stones. Place root vegetables (kumara, potatoes) in the upper basket. Top with pumpkin. Cover the baskets tightly with foil.

5. 5

   Cover with wet sacking

   Immediately lay the soaked hessian sacks over the baskets to create steam. Work fast — every second of heat lost matters.

6. 6

   Seal with earth

   Cover completely with the excavated earth, sealing all edges so no steam escapes. Cook for 3–4 hours. The more steam that stays in, the better the result.

7. 7

   Unearth and serve

   Remove the earth and sacking carefully. Lift out baskets and serve immediately on large communal platters alongside fresh bread and salads.

Variations

• •

  Vegetarian hangi using only kumara, potato, pumpkin, and corn.

• •

  Add whole corn cobs for sweetness.

• •

  Some families add a layer of watercress for a bitter, earthy note.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Leftovers keep refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a covered pot with a splash of water.

Frequently Asked Questions