Chefs share amazing recipes in inspiring cookbooks.
An impressive new work, Eat Pacific: The Pacific Island Food Revolution Cookbook It offers a bold vision for food and brings together a diverse collection of recipes, while also sharing the diversity and commonalities of cuisine across Moana.
In her foreword, Princess Salote Mafileo Pilolevu Tuita of Tonga writes that the book is a “tribute to culture, local flavours and culinary innovation,” capturing the region’s food past and present, from the common ingredients that helped define Pacific Island cuisine, to the diverse variations and traditions, modern iterations and wider influences.
There’s Renée Richardson’s fantastic Niuean ‘ota (raw fish in coconut cream); Tino Suifatau and Teuiira Suifatau share their recipe for a vibrant green banana curry; and Rachel Beryl Temo and Aquila Naioba’s must-try recipe for aromatic jhurmu achar (pickle), all of which you can find below.
Elsewhere Eat PacificCovering Polynesian and Micronesian cuisine, the magazine features everything from Fijian vakasakela to Ni-Vanuatu simbolo to Samoan laupele cream soup, and includes a comprehensive glossary of ingredients.
The book, thoughtfully edited by Robert Oliver, who grew up in Fiji, is derived from the television series. The Pacific Islands Food RevolutionOliver said the movement of the same name is a food justice movement, one that seeks to revive, protect and nurture local food networks and knowledge.
Whether you’re already knowledgeable about Pacific cuisine or looking to broaden your palate, these recipes will be a great starting point.
chef: Tino Suifatau and Tewiira Suifatau
Serves 10
Tino and Tehuila put a lot of love and pride into the food they create, and this simple green banana curry is definitely one of them. Tino loves to blend styles, and he does so expertly here, using protein-rich bananas and spicy spices.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and add vinegar or milk. Cut off the stem end of a banana and place it in the boiling water with the skin on. The banana is cooked when the skin starts to split after 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the water and drain. When the banana is cool enough to handle, peel it.
- Slice the boiled bananas into 2cm thick slices and place in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Heat a frying pan, add coconut oil and saute onion, garlic and ginger. Add curry powder and stir to bring out the flavor.
- Add the bananas to the pan and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.
- Add the coconut cream and bring to a boil, then add the coconut juice and bring to a boil again.
- Gently fold in the coriander. Season with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lime juice for flavor.
chef: Rachel Beryl Temo and Aquila Naioba
2-3 bottles
Green mango achar is well known, but this was the first time I’d tried the combination of eggplant and pineapple, and it was absolutely delicious. The softness of the eggplant provides a nice contrast to the sour and sweet taste of the pineapple. It’s best to “marinate” it for a week or so, and store it in the fridge after opening.
- Heat a frying pan over medium heat and fry the cumin seeds, mustard seeds and methi until fragrant. Grind the spices into a coarse powder and add the masala. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Heat 3 tablespoons of mustard oil in a frying pan and add the onion, ginger, garlic and chilli.
- Stir in the roasted spices until well cooked, then form a paste and transfer the mixture from the pan to a bowl. Season with salt and set aside.
- In the same frying pan, add 2 tablespoons of mustard oil, add the eggplant and fry for 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- In the same pan, fry the green mango in 2 more tablespoons of mustard oil for 3 minutes. Transfer it to a separate bowl and keep aside.
- In the same skillet, add 2 more tablespoons of mustard oil and fry the pineapple for 3 minutes, then transfer to a bowl.
- Layer the spice mix with the pineapple, mango and eggplant in a clean jar until it’s full and you have clearly visible layers. Cover with the mustard oil before sealing the lid tightly.
It can be stored for 4 to 6 months.
chef: Renée Richardson
Serves 4
Every household in Niue has their own otā and everyone claims to be the “best”. Things can get quite competitive when it comes to otā. Some recipes have been in families for ages. Niueans can be very critical if you are making otā for the first time or if you make any changes to it.
- Dice the fish (not too small). Place the cubes in a glass or ceramic bowl.
- Add lime juice, chili powder, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.
- Immediately add tomatoes, cucumbers, and green onions to fish mixture in bowl.
- Stir in the coconut cream and season to taste.
- Chill for 1 hour before serving.
- Use only fresh fish.
- Don’t over-marinate the citrus.
- Allow to cool and eat immediately before the coconut cream thickens.
- In Niue, the vegetables are added to the fish mixture immediately so that the fish does not get too “cooked”.
Recipe provided by Eat Pacific: A Pacific Island Food Revolution Edited by Robert Oliver. Published by Massey University Press, $60, on sale now.
Other Recipes
A great dish to make at home.
