EASY VAKASAKERA
This recipe was inspired by the ladies of Kabara and not exactly the same but is easy to make at home.
1 medium pot of fresh green leaves (saagan, cassava,
Chinese cabbage, bele, dalo)
6 cups fresh coconut milk
1 cup fermented coconut (kora),
available at markets if you don’t have time to make
2 cups fresh shellfish or tinned tuna, chopped fine
1 teaspoon salt
1. Blanch the green leaves in boiling hot water for no longer than 2 mins (the leaves must stay night green). Strain into a bowl.
2. Add cold water to the leaves and cool.
3. Squeeze out the excess water until you have a ball of pressed leaves
4. Finely shred the leaf ball until fine and repeat steps 2-4 again.
5. Place the shredded green leaves into a bowl with the fermented coconut and seafood.
6. Cover with the fresh coconut milk and add the salt
7. Bring to a boil then simmer for 15 minutes, or until the coconut milk reduces and thickens.
8. Serve with boiled breadfruit or other root crops.
Sweet and Sour Fish
This recipe was cooked in the village of Udu on Totoya Island, helping the villagers use more of their local ingredients to enjoy fish in different ways
500 grams walu or any white fish fillets,
cut into large cubes
2 cups of normal flour
1 cup white vinegar
1 red capsicum, julienned
1 green capsicum, julienned
½ fresh pineapple, diced
1/4 cup carrots, julienned
1 small onion, sliced
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1/4 cup tomato ketchup/sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch/flour diluted in
3 tablespoons water
2 cups of vegetable or soybean oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Season the fish cubes with salt and pepper, then dust with normal flour
2. Heat the cooking oil in a frying pan.
3. When the oil begins to smoke, fry the pieces of coated fish evenly on each side. You may have to do this in two batches.
4. Meanwhile, make the sweet and sour sauce by combining vinegar, soy sauce, tomato sauyce, and sugar in a bowl. Mix well.
5. Heat a saucepan and pour-in the vinegar mixture. Let boil.
6. Adjust the heat to medium and then add the carrots, bell peppers, and onion. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
7. Slowly pour in the cornstarch diluted in water. Stir quickly. Continue to stir gently until the texture becomes thick.
8. Turn the heat off. Add the fried fish to the pot and gently combine.
9. Serve with steamed white rice.
