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.
Wonderful post! I’m sure that everyone appreciated you bringing that cheese and the pastry too. I always take cummin and cinnamon whenever I travel as it can jazz up so many dishes. I often take a grater too! We food lovers are funny creatures… Thanks for the exotic tour.
Your salsa looks absolutely divine! And the quinoa salad sounds delicious too 🙂
G’day and what a lovely post today as part of the In My Kitchen view,
Your fish looks YUM and wish I could come through the screen and try some now!
Gorgeous! That fish is magnificent – how fabulous to have such fresh produce to play with! Sounds like you had an amazing time, Tania! xx
I’d love to travel to Fiji – for the seafood of course! The fish look incredible!
What a delicious assortment of dishes!!
I love the picture of the fish, it just looks so fresh!
That money envelop lantern looks great! Love your grilled fish….so fresh and delicious.
Have a lovely day!
Angie
It’s wonderful to have the chance to cook in someone else’s kitchen. Haha, travel with cheese, good thinking.
Your grilled fish looks extraordinary! In fact, all your food photos look darn tasty. I sure wish I was in Fiji…as we have more winter storm warnings for tomorrow.
OMG!! Saint Marcellin cheese?!?!?! My dearest (late) uncle was the manager in this factory in France!! Bless ! He was one of the funniest men I ever met.
The fish looks amazingly good! Glad to see that you had such a nice trip too! I love that you brought pastry with you 😀
What a fabulous round up – here’s to a fantastic February!
Best meal I had in Fiji? The feast cooked by Tania which will remain a memorable event! Sensational!!!
I so love Fiji and the people and the cuisine and the climate. I do hope you had a wonderful holiday and a good rest but it looks like you couldn’t stay out of the kitchen! xx
Just so you know,you can come and stay with me anytime if that’s how you pack your bags!! I’m glad I got a photo of the pakapaka because I had no idea what it was.
That food all looks so fresh! You can tell good ingredients are involved 🙂 I’ll look forward to seeing what you get up to with your pastry book too.
Wow Tania, that pakapaka has some teeth! It sure looks delicious though. And what an adventure… those pure clean waters, how amazing! Your Patisserie book sounds interesting… I will be following to see what delights you create. Happy February.
Now we know what you’ve been getting up to and it’s making us all drool. What a lovely time away from the daily grind. More stories!
The fresh fish looks absolutely amazing!! Especially grilled with that gorgeous crispy skin. 🙂
Just look at the eyes of the fish on ice- you certainly couldn’t get fresher, better anywhere Tania! What a fun trip you must have had trying out all the goodies Fiji has to offer, you lucky thing you! Xox