Simply Blissful Living - Taste of Fiji

These rotis or parathas are stuffed with delicious, spicy mashed potatoes before panfrying. They are soft and utterly delicious! I remember devouring these on weekends when my mom made them! I used to love eating these (still do) by tearing a small piece and dipping in hot tea (lal cha). So good! Ingredients: For the dough: 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup whole wheat flour ½ tsp salt ½- 3/4 cup luke-warm water 2 tbsp oil For the stuffing: 4 medium potatoes, boiled and mashed ½ tsp cumin powder ½ tsp turmeric powder 1 tsp Fiji masala or garam masala 1/8 cup flour (either all purpose or whole wheat) 1/2 tsp chili powder (or to taste) Handful of cilantro salt to taste Oil or butter for applying on paratha Extra flour for dusting parathas while rolling Method: In a large bowl, mix both flours and salt well, add a little bit of water at a time and make a soft dough. Knead dough for 5 minutes and let rest covered with a damp cloth for approximately 15 minutes...

With Diwali right around the corner and plethora of sweets being prepared, one thing I truly missed was Rasmalai. Traditional Rasmalai is almost completely made of dairy and I didn’t think I could get the texture or flavor profile right! The biggest challenge to me seemed to be making dairy free cheese balls! Boy, was I wrong! This recipe REALLY surprised me. I started off by trying out methods to make almond milk ricotta cheese. Once I had that part down, I tried different methods to make the “cheese” balls, and was finally happy going the traditional route.  For “cheese” balls/disks: 2 cups of almond milk ricotta cheese (homemade recipe below)  2-3 tsp corn starch For sugar syrup: ½ - ¾ cup sugar  2-3 whole green cardamoms 2 cups water For Rabri/creamy syrup: 4-5 cups of nut milk (see recipe below) ½ - 1 cup sugar (per your taste)  1 tsp cardamom powder (ellaichi) 1-2 tbsp cut almonds (or any cashew)  Few strands of saffron (kesar)  ...

A simple, yet delicious, chutney that is a personal favorite to accompany Idlis, this coconut chutney is easy to make and easy to devour too! You can use fresh coconut or frozen grated coconut or even desiccated coconut (make wet with either coconut milk or water). Coconuts are so readily available in Fiji and this is a great way to use it up (along with hundreds of other Island recipes!) I hope you give this a try and tailor it to your likings. Ingredients: 1 cup of coconut chunks Handful of cilantro 1 Tablespoon of tamarind pulp 2 cloves of garlic 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (divided into ½ tsp portions) 2 dry red chilies (or you can use fresh) 2 sprigs of curry leaves Salt to taste Oil for tempering  Method: 1. On high heat, in any pan of your choice, dry roast coconut chunks for 5-7 minutes or until some charring or brown spots appear. 2. Add in garlic and 1 dry red chili and roast for 1 minute. 3. Add ½ tsp of cumin seeds and roast for 30-40 seconds. Do ...

Semolina (suji/sooji), milk and sugar make this delicious dessert flavored with cardamom and garnished with almonds. Suji ke Halwa is offered as prasad during Diwali to Ma Laxmi and Ganesh. It is also prepared for all religious festivities including puja and Holi. This halwa is quick and easy and a treat to prepare when unexpected guests arrive! Milk gives halwa the rich taste but you can omit milk and used water instead. Ingredients: 1/2 cup suji/rava/semolina 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 2 cups milk (evaporated or whole milk) (plant based for vegan option) 5 tbsp ghee/butter (vanaspati ghee is vegan or you can use plant based butter) 1 tsp powdered cardamom (ellaichi) 1/4 tsp nutmeg (jaifar/jaifal) 2-3 tbsp slivered almond 2 tbsp raisins (munaka) pinch of saffron (kesar) Directions: In a saucepan, mix milk, sugar and spices. Heat the sugar melts and the mix warms through.  In a pan or kadiya (kadai/wok),  add semolina and roast until golden brown. ...

Ladki Mithai is a must have in every household during Diwali. It is made with simple ingredients yet, its so delectable that I always find myself eating a whole bowl full alone! They are simply irresistible. Growing up, I remember buying small bags of these from the street vendors, or the Gadi wala as we called it. You will find that every household has its own way of making it. Some make them long and some short. Some thin and some thick. Some like them light golden and some darker! I prefer mine golden brown, crispy and crunchy. The beauty of Ladki Mithai is that they need not be perfectly cut. Lakdi Mithai translates to "Sweet Sticks" and they certainly look like lovely little sticks! Here is my version of Lakdi Mithai! Ingredients: 2 cups all purpose flour 3 Tablespoon butter/ghee (use vegan butter to make it vegan) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cardamom powder (ellaichi) few strands of saffron (optional) 1/2-1 cup of luke warm water oil for frying Syrup: 1 c...

Gulab jamun is a milk-based Indian sweet. Gulab, in Hindi means rose and jamun is a type of fruit that varies in shape from cylindrical to round. There are as many variations of this dessert as there are jamuns. If you order gulab jamun in an Indian restaurant, you are most likely to get soft round balls floating in syrup. This recipe is for the type of gulab jamun commonly made in Fiji. It doesn't sit in syrup for too long, is cylindrical in shape and made from condensed milk. It has a more dense texture and just steeped in syrup, not served floating in syrup. Depending on who you ask, there are, again, variations of this recipe in Fiji itself. Some like to make a simple syrup to soak these while others, like my family, like to coat them in a sugar syrup that hardens slightly. This recipe is quite simple. Just be sure to fry the Gulab Jamuns on medium low heat, otherwise you will end up with half cooked, gooey, Gulab Jamuns! On to the recipe!

This Tamarind or Imli chutney as we call it in Fiji is lip-smacking and absolutely delicious! It can be made into a thick paste or left runny, depending on your preference. This chutney is sweet, tangy, spicy and sour, all at the same time. You can easily adjust the sugar and add any other spices (fennel seeds is a additional) while preparing Imli Chutney, however I prefer it just like this. By default, this chutney is vegan, gluten free, and very simply to prepare. It can be made well in advance and will store in the refrigerator for months! Lets talk more about the star of the show, the Tamarind Tamarind is a member of the legume family, and so some may consider it a legume. It is mostly used and enjoyed like a fruit. Tamarind is a pod-like tree fruit that grows in tropical and sub-tropical areas. It can be found growing throughout the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa, and South Asia. The pulp that comes from pods on the Tamarind tree, can be used as the base for all sorts...

Fiji Style Barfi | Milk Powder Barfi | How to Make Burfi   Barfi, Burfi or Doodh La Barfi, is a popular sweet in Fiji, especially during Diwali! With a few simple ingredients, this milk fudge is melt-in-your-mouth delicious! Although the ingredients and even the recipe itself is quite simple, the challenge usually lies in the syrup. Honestly, it took me a few tries (more like 10) to get this barfi down. In my video below, I’ve shared some tips on when to know that the syrup is ready. It may take you a few tries, but once you have this down, I promise you, you will be making it every Diwali, if not multiple times in the year!  This delicious sweet is a must have for wedding festivities as well. Although quite similar to the ones made in India, if you grew up eating Fiji style barfi, you’ll feel something “missing” when you get the barfis at the Indian stores.  I hope you give this recipe a try! If you do, please snap a pic and share it on my social media!...