Rourou soup

Ingredients

• 4 cups of water
• 20 young taro leaves
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine, oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped onion
• 1½ rounded tablespoons flour
• 3 cups milk
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions 

1. Boil the water, add taro leaves and cook for 10 minutes with the lid on.
2. Drain and mash the taro leaves and set aside.
3. Heat the butter, margarine or oil, and fry onion for one minute.
4. Add flour and stir the mixture over a low heat for one minute.
5. Remove from heat, and stir in milk.
6. Put back on heat and bring to boil.
7. Add leaves and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring all the time.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.

Taro Leaf & Coconut Soup

• 2 tbsp. oil
• 2 onions - chopped
• 1 tsp. (3cloves) crushed garlic
• 4 cups taro leaves
• salt to taste
• 2 cups coconut cream (lolo)
  
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp. chopped fresh basil or parsley or coriander leaves
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock or broth
• 1/4 tsp. crushed chili or chili sauce

Clean and chop the taro leaves (pull the stalk out of the leaf and try to remove the central thick veins, then pinch off the tip of the leaf before chopping ) In a heavy saucepan cook onions and garlic in oil until soft. Add all remaining ingredients except for á cup coconut cream, and cook for 30 minutes. Puree in batches in a food processor or blender until smooth. Reheat before serving. Add a swirl of the reserved coconut cream to each bowl of soup. (small cooked shrimp can be added if desired.) ( Flame Tree Cookbook  by Sue Carruthers)

Spiced Dahl Soup

Ingredients

Water

200g/7oz dry Lentils

1/2 teasp Fenugreek Seeds

1/2 teasp Mustard Seeds

1.1L/40fl.oz. Strong Vegetable Stock

2 tbsp Vegetable Oil

4 Garlic Cloves, chopped

1 Large Onion, chopped

1/2 teasp crushed dried Chilies

2 Carrots, chopped

2 Sticks of Celery, chopped

1 teasp Salt

½  teasp Ground Turmeric

½  teasp Curry Powder

1 tbsp Soy Sauce

 

Instructions

 

1.   Place the lentils, fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds in a large saucepan, cover with 5cm/2-inches of water and leave to  soak for about 1 hour until softened.  Drain and rinse well in fresh cold water.

 

2.  Return the lentil mixture to the rinsed out saucepan, add the stock,  bring to the boil stirring then reduce the heat, partially cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the lentils are soft.

 

3. Meanwhile,  heat the oil in a frying pan, add the garlic and onions and cook over a medium high heat, stirring,  for about 5 minutes until lightly browned.

 

4.  Add onion mixture, crushed chili, carrots and celery to the lentils, mix well and continue to cook for a further 15 minutes or until carrots are tender.

 

5. Allow the soup to cool a little then transfer to a food processor and process until pureed. You will probably have to do this in batches.

  6.  Return the soup to the saucepan together with the salt, tueric, curry powder and soy sauce. Mix well and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve hot

Chicken and squash soup

Serves 4-6   

 

Ingredients

2 tbsp Cooking Oil

1 Onion, chopped

2 Large Chicken Breasts, diced

900ml/30fl.oz. Water

2 tbsp Lime Juice

Salt

2 Tomatoes, chopped

675g/1-½ lbs Pumpkin, peeled and sliced

120ml/4fl.oz. Coconut Cream

 

Instructions

 

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onions and sauté for about 5 minutes until softened.

 

2. Add  the chicken to the pan and cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time.

 

3. Add the water, lime juice and salt, bring to the boil then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

 

4. Add the tomatoes, pumpkin and coconut cream and bring to the boil, stirring.

 

5. Immediately remove from the heat and serve hot.

 

Traditionally served as a main course with boiled taro or breadfruit.

Coconut and prawn broth with rice, spinach and chilli

Ingredients
1 tbsp vegetable oil
5 large prawns, shells and heads only
½ fresh green chilli, chopped
25g/1oz fresh ginger, sliced
¼ onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
300ml/½ pint boiling water
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp tomato purée
1 tbsp grated fresh coconut
1 lime, juice only
handful fresh spinach
25g/1oz basmati rice, cooked
small handful fresh coriander leaves, to garnish

Preparation method
Heat the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan, add the prawn shells and heads, chilli, ginger, onion and garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes.

Add the water, curry powder, tomato purée, grated coconut and lime juice. Bring to the boil and cook for ten minutes.

Place a fine sieve over another clean pan, pass the mixture through the sieve and discard everything that is left in the sieve. Add the spinach and rice to the broth and stir.
To serve, pour into a bowl and garnish with coriander leaves.

CHICKEN & GINGER CLEAR BROTH

-Fijian Food Safari

1kg Chicken on the bone (drumsticks, wings or maryland)
1 ea Onion white large, peeled & cut in half
1 ea Carrot, peeled and chopped into chunks
30gm Ginger, peeled and sliced thin lengthways

1. In a medium pot, fill 1/3 with water and bring to the boil
2. Add de-skinned and washed chicken pieces
3. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 mins (scum & congealed blood will appear in the water but this is OK. We want to 'seal' the pieces before preparing a clear soup)
4. Tip out the whole pot into a strainer and wash the pieces in fresh water to remove impurities
5. Clean the same pot and refill 1/2 with fresh water
6. Add the washed chicken, onion, carrot & ginger & bring to the boil again (your stock should be nice & clear now - no floaties!)
7. Simmer partially covered for 1 to 1.5 hours, or until the chicken begins to fall off the bone (you want to extract all the natural flavour from the chicken meat & bones until the chicken has no flavour - it'll be in the soup!)
8. Taste the stock and adjust with salt, white pepper & small amount of white sugar)
9. With a fine mesh strainer, remove the bones & meat.
10. Now you can add whatever vegetables, tofu or other cooked meats

CHINESE BEEF BRISKET STEW

-Fijian Food Safair

Braising Ingredients
1kg      Beef brisket, flank or shanks (or any other meats)
1 cup   Light soy sauce
1 cup   Dark soy sauce
½ cup  Hoi sin sauce
1 cup   Chinese rice wine (or other white wine)
2 cups             Water
2 only Spring Onions
6 slices            Fresh ginger
12 pcs             Sichuan peppercorns
4 pc     Star anise
1 tsp    Chinese Sesame Oil
3 cups Good chicken or beef stock, seasoned

Braising method:
Wash meat to remove blood and trim excess fat if necessary. Place in large pot with rest of ingredients.
Bring to boil. Cover, then simmer for approximately two hours, add additional water if liquid is low.  Continue to cook for another 1-2 hours, checking the meat is soft
Let stew cool.
Noodle soup method:
In a soup pot, add the beef or chicken stock with reserved sauce from the beef stew. Bring to a boil and check seasoning. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add greens to blanch for a few seconds, remove and set aside. Cook noodles as directed (do not overcook) and drain.
Reheat the meat stew
Divide noodles into large bowls. Add a few greens and a generous serving of meat stew
Ladle in soup broth. Top with spring onion, chill relish and serve steaming hot.