Traditional island dishes taste great, but should be eaten in moderation with ingredients substituted for healthier alternatives. SERU MAR shows you how with his tasty lamb curry special.
Growing up in Fiji, I was brought up on curry and rice. The fusing of different cultures in Fiji with the Indians and the Chinese meant our family got to eat a wide range of dishes.
My grandfather Sing Mar was Chinese. He cooked noodles and chop suey on a regular basis. My dad was a great cook, too, and I used to spend most of my time in the kitchen watching him. It inspired me to become a chef before I came to New Zealand as a teenager. Living in New Zealand has also made me more aware that eating healthy is just as important because of the different lifestyles we lead compared to the islands.
While traditional island dishes taste great, we should all take care to eat these foods in moderation and where possible, substitute ingredients for healthier alternatives. My lamb curry and rice dish still has the great taste of home and is the perfect food to combat the cold chill. For this recipe, however, I’m adding in more condiments and vegetables to make it a healthier, balanced meal. For the palusami, I have replaced traditional taro leaves with silver beet, which is cheaper and easier to cook – plus not as fibrous as taro leaves.
RICE
Method
Wash rice and place in a pot adding 2 cups of
water for each cup of rice.
Add a pinch of salt and bring to the boil.
Turn the heat down to low. Let the rice steam
until cooked when all the water is absorbed.
LAMB CURRY
Ingredients
80 g diced shoulder lamb pieces
(fat removed)
4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 medium onion finely chopped
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
4 tbsp curry powder, or to your taste
4- 6 potatoes, washed and peeled, cut into bite
size pieces
1 cup water
3 tbsp tomato paste
3-4 small tomatoes chopped
12 fresh curry leaves or 3 bay leaves
2 tbsp lemon juice
salt
Method
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and sauté the garlic, onions, mustard and cumin seeds for 3 minutes.
Add curry powder and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Add diced lamb and cook until brown.
Add potatoes, water, tomato paste, tomatoes, curry leaves, lemon juice and salt.
Stir well and simmer covered on low heat for 35-45 minutes.
Extra water may be added in small quantities to increase the amount of serving liquid
RIATA
Ingredients
1 cup finely chopped cucumber
½ tsp salt
1 cup unsweetened yoghurt
squeeze of lemon juice
pinch of cumin
fresh chopped mint leaves
1 small clove of garlic, crushed
Method
Peel and chop cucumber.
Place in strainer, then sprinkle with salt and allow to drain.
Into the yoghurt mix the garlic and mint leaves.
Stir in the drained cucumber and lemon juice.
Adjust salt to taste.
Refrigerate for an hour before serving.
BANANAS & COCONUT
Ingredients
4 bananas
toasted long thread coconut.
squeeze of lemon juice
Method
Peel bananas and slice into small rounds.
Squeeze lemon juice over them to stop from browning, then bind with the toasted coconut. SILVERBEET PARCELS
(PALUSAMI)
Ingredients
1 kg silver beet leaves
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2-4 tomatoes, diced
1 can of light Coconut Cream
chilli optional
tuna optional
Method
Trim silver beet leaves discarding most of the white stalk and wash thoroughly.
Use about 8-10 leaves to form into a bowl
shape with aluminium foil underneath, which helps mould palusami into shape.
Add onion, tomatoes, chilli & coconut cream.
You could add tuna at this stage if you like.
Mould into a tight parcel and bake in oven for 45-60 minutes until done.
TAMARIND CHUTNEY
Ingredients
Tamarind Pulp
2 cups Sugar
3 Cups Water
Method
Soak tamarind for 2 hours
Slowly bring to the boil.
Add the sugar and simmer for 45-60 minutes till fully incorporated.
SERU’S TIP:
1. Curries are much nicer tasting on the second day as all the flavours of the meat and gravy are nicely combined.
2. Always use light coconut cream
3. The tamarind chutney does have a lot of sugar in it, you only need to use a ount of chutney on your meal. Bulk
the meal out with the riata, bananas and silverbeet.