Fijian Techniques

Fresh fish (snapper, mahi-mahi) is simmered in coconut milk with a curry paste of turmeric, cumin, coriander, ginger, garlic, onion, and chili. Tomatoes provide acid. The curry is not heavy or thick like many Indian curries — it is a light, coconut-based braise. Served with rice or cassava.

The kava root is dried, then pounded or ground to a fine powder. The powder is placed in a cloth strainer (traditionally a hibiscus-bark cloth) and water is added. The mixture is kneaded and wrung through the cloth into a tanoa (large wooden bowl). The resulting liquid is murky grey-brown, earthy-tasting, and produces a numbing sensation on the tongue within seconds. Kava is served in a bilo (coconut shell cup) and drunk in a single gulp. The ceremony — who serves, who drinks first, how the cup is presented — is as important as the beverage itself.

Fresh fish (mahi-mahi, walu/Spanish mackerel, or snapper) is cubed and marinated in fresh lime or lemon juice for one to two hours until the exterior turns opaque from acid denaturation. Finely diced onion, tomato, capsicum, and chili are added. Then coconut cream — fresh-pressed from mature coconut — is stirred through the mixture. Served chilled, often in a halved coconut shell. Kokoda is bright, creamy, tangy, and profoundly refreshing — the perfect contrast to the heavy, smoky richness of lovo-cooked food.

Fresh reef fish (snapper, grouper, or mahi-mahi) is placed in a pot with freshly pressed coconut cream, sliced onion, garlic, ginger, and chili. The fish is gently simmered — never boiled — until just cooked through. The coconut cream reduces slightly, forming a rich sauce. Served with steamed taro or cassava. The technique is extreme simplicity: the fish must be fresh, the coconut must be quality, and the heat must be gentle.

Fresh taro leaves are washed, stems removed, and simmered in coconut milk until completely tender and the coconut has reduced into a rich sauce. Salt, sometimes garlic and onion. The leaves break down into a dark, glossy, creamy mass that resembles creamed spinach but with a deeper, more mineral flavour. Served as a side dish with grilled fish, lovo meats, or simply with cassava or rice.

A pit is dug and lined with river stones. A fire of coconut husks and hardwood is built on top to heat the stones. When the stones are uniformly hot, the fire remnants are cleared and the food — pork, chicken, fish, taro, cassava, kumala (sweet potato), and palusami parcels — all wrapped in banana leaves, is placed on the stones. Everything is covered with more leaves, wet sacking, and earth. After two to four hours, the lovo is uncovered and the food emerges tender, smoky, and infused with the earthy, mineral character of the heated stones.

Fresh cassava is peeled and finely grated. Mixed with freshly grated coconut, ginger, sugar, and sometimes cardamom or cloves. The mixture is shaped into small flat cakes, wrapped in banana leaves, and steamed until dense and chewy. The banana leaf imparts a subtle green, vegetal aroma. The finished vakalolo is dense, moist, and deeply satisfying — sweet without being cloying, with the warmth of ginger and the richness of coconut.