Skip to content
St. Labre Indian School Logo St. Labre Indian School Logo

Get Updates:

  • About St. Labre
    • Home
    • Our Schools
    • Programs and Services
    • Museum & Gift Shop
    • News & Publications
    • FAQ
    • Career Opportunities
    • Policies
  • Discover St. Labre
    • About Curtis
    • History
    • Culture
    • Community Impact
    • Experience St. Labre
    • Alumni Updates
    • Visitors Center
  • Ways to Give
    • Sacred Circle
    • Matching Gifts
    • Monthly Giving
    • In Memory Of
    • Planned Giving
    • Scholarship Fund
    • Giving Accounts (DAF)
    • Cryptocurrency
    • Stock Transfers
    • Other Ways to Give
  • Donate Now
  • Give Monthly

Discover St. Labre

Native American Traditional Recipes

  • Plum Pudding

  • Native American Fry Bread

  • Indian Corn Soup

  • Plum Pudding

Ingredients:student-cooking-1

  • Wild plums
  • Sugar
  • Cornstarch

Preparation:

Wash plums, put in a pot an add enough water to cover them.  Bring to a boil and cook until the plums split and most of the fruit comes away from the seeds.  Cool and strain juice from seeds and fruit.  Put the juice in a pot and bring to a boil.  Make a paste using cornstarch and hot water.  Use about 3 tablespoons cornstarch to 1/4 cup hot water.  Stir well so that aren’t any lumps.  Slowly add the paste to the boiling juice.  It should thicken the juice into pudding.  If it isn’t thick enough add more paste.  Remove from heat and add sugar to taste.

Note: In the early fall you can go out and pick wild plums.  If you go after the first frost, lay a blanket under the plum bush and shake the bush.  The plums will come right off of the branches and land in the blanket.  Plums grow all around the Northern Cheyenne Reservation.  This pudding is great with warm fry bread.

  • Native American Fry Bread

(Servings: 12)

student-cooking-2

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup dry milk
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 T. salt
  • 3 T. yeast
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 4 cups very warm water
  • 4 cups flour

Preparation:

Using only 4 cups of flour, mix all ingredients together.  Let set until it bubbles.  Slowly add more flour until you have a bread consistency. Mix well between each addition of flour. Cover and let stand in a warm place until it doubles in size. In about an hour, take the dough and make into fry bread pieces. Make a hole in the middle of each piece. Heat grease on medium-high temperature on a back burner with handle turned back. Check the grease by setting a tiny piece of dough in the grease. It should go to the bottom, dance for a couple seconds and pop back up. Do not heat it on high because you will burn the grease and it could ignite. Lay pieces of bread in grease. Do not drop it in because that is how you get burned. Turn over when browned on bottom side. Remove from oil when done and put in a bowl lined with paper towels. If the grease isn’t hot enough you will have greasy bread. If the grease is too hot, the bread will be overcooked on the outside and doughy on the inside.

Note: This is a great “first attempt” at fry bread. It is easy and delicious.

  • Indian Corn Soup

st-labre-kidsIngredients:

  • 2 cups dry corn
  • 1 cup flour
  • 6 cups water
  • 1 cup diced bacon or salt pork
  • dash salt

Preparation:

Boil dry corn in water for four hours.  Add bacon and salt.  When done, mix flour with water and add to soup to thicken.

  • Virtual Tour
  • Maps & Directions

NEWS & PUBLICATIONS

NewsNews - St. Labre News

Stay up to date on the current events of our Native American students on three campuses in Southeastern Montana. You’ll be inspired to hear how they’re learning, growing, and preparing […]

Read More

PublicationsPublications - The Morning Star Newsletter

Get a more-in depth look at the students and staff of St. Labre! Our quarterly newsletter features success stories about children currently attending our school, as well as alumni. Browse our […]

Read More

St. Labre
Career Opportunities
Parents and Students
  • About St. Labre
  • Discover St.Labre
  • Ways to Give
  • Policies
  • Contact Us
  • Employees
St Labre Indian School Nonprofit Overview and Reviews on GreatNonprofits
FacebookDAFDAF

© St. Labre Indian School Ashland, MT 59004
St. Labre Indian School
Ashland, MT 59004 · info@stlabre.org · 1-866-753-5496
St. Labre Indian School is registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law,
tax identification number 81-0244542.