Cooking in Suva. Postcards and antics from a trip to Fiji. What you cook when in a foreign kitchen after visiting the markets
Fish shop Island Ika in Toorak , Suva
I spent the last of January and the beginning of February in Fiji. There were fireworks galore to celebrate Chinese New Year welcoming in the year of the Horse. It was strange to hear the enormous celebrations. I am told that Fijians are willing to celebrate anything with a bit of a firework. You can be assured they were simple bang and flash fireworks with out a Harbour bridge to set them off!
The 1st of February was spent cooking in someone else’s kitchen. I thought I might share it with you . We cooked a whole Pakapaka on the BBQ with produce from the central market – turmeric, ginger and fresh coriander, mangoes, avocados, limes, eggplant and pumpkin. There was Quinoa in the cupboard along with olive oil and dijon, my favourite. I managed to take some pastry for a tart along with me. I froze it and it thawed on the way from Sydney in case I had the chance to cook! We also had a big block of Italian chocolate and cheese, which did cause some commotion at the arrive hall in Suva, they relented and let us in with our smelly cheese and chocolate. Isn’t this what people normally take with them?
I later made a chocolate mousse tart with some NZ butter we bought at a shopping mall supermarket (there are few of these) and we ate it with passionfruit from the markets. A treat for friends living in Fiji
Firstly fish comes from waters like this in Fiji…….
And is procured a little like this….You can buy it on any road to anywhere. Below is a special way to sell a catch of crabs on the roadside.
There’s a brand new shop and idea in Suva, Island Ika. Buying fish FRESH from an indoor outlet… and on ice! They can tell you where it comes from and what it is. You buy it filleted cleaned and whole. I know this sounds quite normal, it’s just that in Fiji this is a new idea. Otherwise you buy from the outdoor fish vendors above or from a deep freezer. Vendors at local markets lay out the fish on wooden tables in all whether caught mostly by snorkelling and diving and bringing back to shore by speed or row boat.
in the kitchen fiji
cutting tumeric in suva
Pakapaka stuffed with limes, tumeric & ginger cooked over a BBQ grill
Salsa made with limes, sour mango, avocado ,coriander & tomato
Roasted eggplant and pumpkin with red quinoa, lemon, dijon and olive oil dressing
And cheese carried through flight and taxi ride all the way to Suva… Comte, Saint Marcellin and an Australian Brie.
This was part of a monthly linkup that is no longer active. Each month an In My Kitchen post appears here. It is a great idea by Celia from www.figjamandlimecordial.com , where you can look into the kitchen adventures of people from around the globe.
Isn’t cooking in someone else’s kitchen for a change fun?! I love Celia’s In My Kitchen idea. I did it last month but couldn’t manage it this month. Love visiting all the blogs on her list.
Tania, your BBQ feast looks absolutely fresh and wonderful — the fish must have tasted sublime. Loved your clear water photo, too! Thanks for the glimpse into your alternate kitchen this month. Happy Valentine’s Day!