Toroī with pūhā or watercress
Dixon's 2007 thesis records ten toroi study batches, five with puha and five with watercress, each from 2 kg of shell-on green-lipped mussels and about 600 g of greens. Its method is a laboratory one.
Modern adaptation
Parāoa parai
Māori fried bread · Fry bread
A yeast-leavened Māori fried bread recipe shared by Aunty Gina Harding, with a 12–14 piece batch, two rises and a 165°C fry.
A Māori fried bread recipe
Parāoa parai is a Māori fried bread served with savoury meals or sweet toppings. This page records one specific yeast-leavened recipe shared by Aunty Gina Harding, of Ngāti Whātua, through Ka‘iwakīloumoku. Her recipe gives a yield of 12–14 pieces.
The recipe uses wheat flour, an introduced crop in Aotearoa. Maimoa Creative describes parāoa parai as a post-contact Māori food and notes that a baking-powder version and newer yeast variations are distinct methods. This yeast dough should not be described as pre-contact or as the sole Māori method.
Aunty Gina Harding's yeast dough
The formula uses 2 cups flour, ½ cup water and ½ cup room-temperature milk (or 1 cup water), ½ tablespoon active dried yeast, ½ tablespoon sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons melted butter or vegetable oil, and vegetable or canola oil for frying. The source estimates 12–14 pieces and says to fill a medium pot to about 1 inch depth with frying oil.
Activate the yeast with the water, milk and sugar for 10 minutes. Combine flour and salt with the butter or oil, then fold in the yeast mixture. Knead lightly until the dough forms a ball, cover and let rise 30–40 minutes until doubled. Roll to about 2 cm thick, cut 6 cm squares and cover for 15 minutes.
Heat oil in a heavy pot to 165°C. Fry one or two squares at a time for about 1–2 minutes per side until golden. Drain on paper towel and rest 5 minutes before serving. Serve with honey, jam, syrup or savoury accompaniments. This method is kept separate from baking-powder dough formulas.
Sources for this section
Handle flour and hot oil safely
Flour is raw and can carry harmful bacteria. Do not taste the uncooked dough; cook the bread through and wash hands and work surfaces after handling it.
Stay beside the pan while frying, keep a lid nearby, and turn off the burner if you need to leave. Keep children away from the hot oil. If a small pan fire starts, slide a lid over it and turn off the heat; do not pour water on it.
Sources for this section
History
Maimoa Creative describes parāoa parai as a Māori food adopted after European arrival, using introduced wheat flour; it distinguishes a baking-powder style from newer yeast variations. Te Ara documents Ruatara sowing and harvesting New Zealand's first wheat crop in 1813. Aunty Gina Harding's contributor-specific yeast formula is a documented recipe, not evidence of a pre-contact preparation or a first attestation.
Ingredients
Yield 12 pieces · Scaling: source batch only
Plain flourPlus extra for dusting.
473 mL2 cup as recorded
Milk (optional)At room temperature.
118 mL½ cup as recorded
May be replaced with water.WaterAt room temperature; combine with milk for yeast activation.
118 mL½ cup as recorded
Use 1 cup total water if omitting milk.Active dried yeast
7.4 mL½ tbsp as recorded
White sugarDissolve with yeast in liquid.
7.4 mL½ tbsp as recorded
Salt
1.2 mL¼ tsp as recorded
Butter (optional)Melt.
30 mL2 tbsp as recorded
May be replaced with vegetable or canola oil.Vegetable oilFor frying; enough to make a 1-inch depth in a medium pot.
946 mL4 cup as recorded
The recipe permits canola oil instead.Method
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Raw flour in dough
Flour may carry harmful bacteria and must be cooked before eating.
Hazard sourceHot frying oil
Unattended or overheated oil can cause burns or a cooking fire.
Hazard sourceDo not taste raw flour or dough; cook the pieces through before eating and clean hands and surfaces after handling raw dough.
Control sourceStay beside the pan while frying, keep a lid nearby, and turn off the burner if leaving. If a small pan fire starts, cover it with the lid and turn off the burner; never pour water on it.
Control sourceThe source sets oil to 165°C; avoid overheating or smoking oil and keep children away from the pan.
Do not taste uncooked flour or dough.
- Combine the water, milk, yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Set it in a warm place for 10 minutes, until bubbly.
- Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the melted butter or oil, then slowly fold in the yeast mixture until a soft dough forms.
- Knead lightly until the dough is less sticky and forms a ball. Cover and leave in a warm place for 30–40 minutes, until doubled.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead it lightly, then roll it to about 2 cm thick. Cut into 6 cm squares and cover for a further 15 minutes.
- Heat the frying oil in a heavy pot to 165°C. Fry one or two pieces at a time for about 1–2 minutes per side, turning once, until golden brown.
- Drain on paper towel and rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Conditions
Yield12 pieces
Temperature165°C
Places
New Zealand
Documented preparation · Country evidenceMāori fried bread is documented in an Aotearoa context. The source credits Aunty Gina Harding of Aurere, but does not claim a single place of origin.
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Sources
Ka‘iwakīloumoku - Kamehameha SchoolsRecipe · Geographic context · Food use
Parāoa Parai (Māori Fried Bread)Aunty Gina Harding (Ko Whatatiri te hapū, ko Ngāti Whātua te iwi), of Aurere, shared the 12–14 piece yeast recipe.
Formula includes water and milk, active dried yeast, sugar, salt, flour, melted butter or oil, and frying oil; it specifies activation, 30–40-minute rise, 15-minute second proof, 165°C frying and 1–2 minutes per side.
The bread can be served sweet or savoury.
Cited in: A Māori fried bread recipe; Aunty Gina Harding's yeast dough
Maimoa CreativeHistory · Geographic context · Food use
Parāoa Parai: Best Fry Bread RecipeThe author describes parāoa parai as a contemporary Māori food adopted after European arrival and says it did not originate in ancestral traditional diets.
The article distinguishes the baking-powder approach from newer yeast versions and contextualizes parāoa parai at hākari, festivals, Matariki and Waitangi celebrations.
Cited in: A Māori fried bread recipe
Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New ZealandHistory · Geographic context
Māori enterprise, 1840 to 1860Te Ara reports Ruatara sowed and harvested the first wheat crop in New Zealand in 1813, and notes later Māori wheat farming and flour mills.
Cited in: A Māori fried bread recipe
U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationFood safety
Handling Flour Safely: What You Need to KnowRaw flour may carry harmful bacteria; never taste raw flour, dough or batter, and clean hands and surfaces after handling.
Cited in: Handle flour and hot oil safely
National Fire Protection AssociationFood safety
Educational Messages Desk ReferenceStay in the kitchen while frying, keep a lid nearby, smother a small pan fire with the lid and turn off the burner; never pour water onto a grease fire.
Cited in: Handle flour and hot oil safely