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Everyone has his or her version of paradise. My version would involve a land lush with coconut palms, cheeky mangos and living greens that reek of sunshine, water and life. A place where you cast a fishing line into aquamarine waters and are rewarded with lightning quick sea hunters such as mahi mahi, mackeral and yellow fin tuna. Allow your line to drop a little deeper to catch dazzlingly coloured parrotfish, snapper or bright-eyed coral trout. Near the rocks lurk painted lobster and for something more obscure you can enjoy the sea fresh flavor of a sea grape. This is Fiji. Take a deep breath while standing on pristine sands and be happy that everything operates on slower clocks in this country – it is known as Fiji time. Recently, I was put to work as a guest chef in such a place.
It was just like putting a kid in a playpen and surrounding them with a lifetime of favorite toys. From my personal Garden of Eden transpired lobster sashimi salad with green mango, seaweed, pickled ginger and a dressing concocted from local chillies and spices. We served it in a banana blossom. Dinner was sesame-soy marinated char grilled tuna steaks accompanied with young taro (rouru) leaves and ginger. For dessert it was 1001 ways with coconuts and fresh local fruits. We played with just picked red pawpaw, small sweet pineapples, jungle fresh bananas, passion fruit, rambutans, pommelo ,mangosteen, lychee, limes or guavas. Chilli- sea salt plantain chips were a major hit with pre dinner drinks.
Anything to do with coconuts can be learnt in Fiji. A fresh mature coconut is brown and feels heavy. When shaken you should feel plenty of juice. To open a coconut, drain the juice into a cup by piercing one of the eyes. Choose one of the rib lines that run from the eye to the other end of the nut. Tap sharply across the middle of the line with a cleaver or heavy knife. Opening the coconut should reveal firm, white flesh. The first time I went to Fiji I witnessed coconut cream being ground from fresh coconuts. I was amazed that coconut cream did not grow in cans on trees! In fact, coconut cream is made by grating the coconut flesh with a hand grater or food processor. Then mix a cup of warm water with a cup of coconut meat and stir or blend at a high speed until combined. Place the blended or hand mixed flesh into some muslin or even a tea towel and squeeze the cream into a bowl. To make coconut milk repeat the process using the squeezed flesh and another cup of water. Try substituting coconut water for the plain water for a great coconut milk. Coconut cream or milk may be frozen in containers or ice cubes for convenient later use. Coconut milk will solidify in the refrigerator so place it on a bench until it reaches room temperature before using and then whisk to combine.
Fijian cuisine is a mixture of Melanesian, Polynesian, Indian, Chinese and Western cuisine. Fijian and Fijian Indians usually sit on the floor on woven mats and enjoy their foods using their hands to eat. Most meals include seafood; beef, pork or poultry served with cassava, taro root (dalo) and taro leaves (rourou). Breadfruit, yam, rice and sweet potato are also popular. Indian-Fijian curries are brilliant. Special occasions are often celebrated with a Lovo, where you dig a large hole, line it with dry coconut husks and set fire to it before heaping stones on top. When the flame subsides banana leaf wrapped meats are placed into the pit. Everything is then covered with more banana leaves and stones and left to cook for hours. It is then retrieved for a grand feast. Fijians particularly love foods with bones.
With the selection of food sources available to Fijians it is intriguing that these friendliest of folk would have unhesitatingly boiled you in a cauldron for supper only 100 years ago as part of a balanced diet. With their quality of air and seawater you can bet you would have tasted superb!
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