More Pa‘i’ai: Green Onion Chili Oil Biscuits & Pa‘i’ai Crackers

Fresh Pa’i’ai on Ti Leaves

Earlier this season I wrote about traditional pounded taro, Pa’i’ai, and how versatile it can be in the kitchen. We enjoyed mini Pa’i’ai “pizzas” and chewy Pa’i’ai tortillas, and discovered that the same base can be turned into crisp crackers and flaky biscuits. Below I describe how I transformed refrigerated, slightly dry Pa’i’ai into delicious baked snacks that keep well and make a great accompaniment to poke or lomi lomi salmon.

The Pa’i’ai I used had been refrigerated for about a week and had firmed up and become crumbly. That’s fine — you can rehydrate it. I cut the Pa’i’ai into small chunks and, if needed, steam or simmer it gently to soften it. I brought a small pot of water to a boil, added the crumbled Pa’i’ai, reduced the heat, and warmed it through. As it softened I mashed it smooth with a potato masher until it reached a spreadable, mostly uniform texture. Once lukewarm, it’s ready to be mixed into a dough.

Mash the warmed Pa’i’ai until smooth, then work in flour or a biscuit mix a little at a time until the dough is no longer sticky. You can use either a wheat or a gluten-free flour blend; for lighter, fluffier biscuits choose a biscuit mix that contains leavening rather than plain flour. Knead the dough until smooth — this is the same versatile dough you can shape into biscuits, roll out for crackers, or flatten for small personal pizzas and tortillas.

Mashed, rehydrated Pa’i’ai

For biscuits: roll the dough to about 1/2″ thickness and cut with 1-1/2″ to 2″ cutters. Bake at 400°F (204°C) for 12–16 minutes, depending on biscuit size and moisture content. I like to knead chopped green onions into some of the dough for a savory variation. Before baking I drizzle the biscuits with a touch of chili oil and sprinkle a little sea salt on top — that gives them a lovely savory finish. They pair nicely with kombucha or beer and are great warm from the oven.

For crackers: preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Coat the bottom of a large, shiny baking sheet (about 12″ x 17″) with 2 tablespoons of oil. Place the dough on the sheet and roll it as thin as you can — a small rolling pin without handles works best to get an even, thin sheet. Lightly sprinkle the top with sea salt and bake for 15 minutes. Then lift and flip the entire sheet so the underside will crisp too, and bake another 10 minutes. The edges should be golden and crispy; the center may remain a bit lighter in color. Let the sheet cool slightly before breaking it into pieces. If some center pieces are still slightly soft, return them to the turned-off oven for a few minutes to finish crisping, checking after 5 minutes to avoid overbrowning.

Finished Pa’i’ai Cracker Sheet

Stack of Pa’i’ai Crackers

These crackers disappear quickly — they’re light, crisp, and addictively savory. If you have poke or lomi lomi salmon on hand, the crackers make excellent scoops for these island flavors. When serving with very salty toppings, consider leaving the extra salt off the crackers.