Boil-up
Pork bones simmered with potato, kūmara and watercress, finished with soft flour doughboys — the Māori one-pot dinner.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 2 hr 30 min
- Rest
- None
- Total
- 2 hr 50 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Boil-up is a pot of pork bones simmered for a couple of hours in water until the meat slips off and the broth tastes of pork. Potato and kūmara go in, then greens: pūhā (sow thistle) if you are in New Zealand and know where to pick it, watercress otherwise. Last are the doughboys, soft dumplings of flour, baking powder, salt and water dropped onto the surface to steam. It is eaten in bowls with the broth, with salt and pepper, and with white bread or rēwena to mop up. The pork bones are usually meaty neck or back bones, sometimes brisket bones, sold cheap at New Zealand butchers.
What you'll need
12 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
- Ingredients
- Doughboys
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Pork, meaty bones: neck, back or rib bones1½ kg
- Water3 l
- Onion, quartered1 large
- Potato, peeled, halved800 g
- Sweet potato, kūmara; peeled, in chunks500 g
- Watercress, two big bunches, washed, thick stems trimmed300 g
- Salt, to taste9.9 ml
- Black pepper4.9 ml
Doughboys
- Wheat flour, plain250 g
- Baking powder9.9 ml
- Salt2½ ml
- Water, cold, as needed150 ml
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Put the pork bones in a large pot, cover with the water and bring to the boil. Skim the grey foam for the first 10 minutes, then add the onion and a teaspoon of salt.
15 min
Step 2
Simmer gently, lid ajar, for 1 hour 30 to 2 hours until the meat is pulling away from the bones and the broth tastes rich.
105 min
Tip: A hard boil makes the broth cloudy and greasy. Keep it at a lazy bubble.
Step 3
Add the potatoes and kūmara and simmer 15 minutes until almost tender.
15 min
Step 4
Mix flour, baking powder and salt for the doughboys and add cold water to make a soft, slightly sticky dough. Do not knead it. Push the watercress down into the pot, then drop tablespoons of dough onto the surface.
5 min
Step 5
Cover tightly and simmer 15 minutes without lifting the lid. The doughboys should double in size and be cooked through when cut.
15 min
Watch: Lifting the lid lets the steam out and gives you gummy doughboys.
Step 6
Season the broth with salt and plenty of pepper. Serve meat, vegetables, greens and doughboys in deep bowls with broth ladled over.
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 990 kcal
- Protein
- 79.8 g
- Carbs
- 78.5 g
- Fat
- 36.8 g
- Saturated fat
- 12.6 g
- Fibre
- 7.3 g
- Sugar
- 7.5 g
- Sodium
- 2122 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Wheat
- Dairy-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 13 November.
Substitutions
Watercress → Spinach or silverbeet
Softer and less peppery. Add in the last 5 minutes instead of 15.
Tips
- Bacon bones give a smokier broth and need less salt. Brisket bones give a beefier one. Use what your butcher has.
- Watercress goes in late so it keeps some colour. Pūhā, if you have it, needs rubbing under water first to remove the bitter milk, then goes in with the potatoes.
- The broth the next day, with the leftover doughboys sliced into it, is arguably the better meal.
History & culture
Boil-up is Māori comfort food and the plainest, most loved dish on the marae. It is Sunday food, winter food, after-rugby food. Every whānau has rules: doughboys or no doughboys, pūhā or watercress, bacon bones or pork bones. It is also cheap, which is part of the point and part of the pride.
The dish fuses pre-European Māori cooking of greens and kūmara with the pigs, potatoes and wheat flour that arrived in the early 1800s. Boiling in iron pots replaced the earth oven for everyday meals. Doughboys descend from British suet and flour dumplings, made without suet because flour and water were what was at hand.
Regional variation — Pūhā is the traditional green and the bitter edge it brings is missed by watercress, which is the standard stand-in in New Zealand too. Pork bones can be swapped for bacon bones or brisket bones; all three are legitimate boil-ups.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Boil-up take?
2 hr 50 min all in — 20 min prep, 2 hr 30 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 6 bowls. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Easy.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Wheat. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Dairy-free.
8 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Stockpot, Chef's knife, Mixing bowl.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 2 tsp (to taste).
What can I use instead?
Watercress → Spinach or silverbeet. Softer and less peppery. Add in the last 5 minutes instead of 15.
What should I watch for?
Lifting the lid lets the steam out and gives you gummy doughboys.
Any tips from this recipe?
Bacon bones give a smokier broth and need less salt. Brisket bones give a beefier one. Use what your butcher has. Watercress goes in late so it keeps some colour. Pūhā, if you have it, needs rubbing under water first to remove the bitter milk, then goes in with the potatoes. The broth the next day, with the leftover doughboys sliced into it, is arguably the better meal.
Can I prepare this ahead?
The broth the next day, with the leftover doughboys sliced into it, is arguably the better meal.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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