Simply Blissful Living - Taste of Fiji

Ingredients: 2 lbs (1 kg) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces 2 tbsp oil (any neutral oil) 1 tsp cumin seeds 2 cups sliced onions (about 1 large onion; reserve a few slices for later) 1 tsp chili powder (adjust to taste) 5-7 green chilies, halved and sliced (reserve some for garnish) 2 tbsp crushed garlic (about 6-7 cloves) 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-2 inch cubes 1 cup tomato sauce or purée (fresh or canned) 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper Salt to taste 1/4 cup water (if needed for consistency) Fresh cilantro or sliced peppers for garnish (optional) Instructions: Heat oil:  In a heavy-bottom pan over medium heat, add oil. Once hot, add cumin seeds and let them sizzle for a few seconds until aromatic. Sauté onions:  Add sliced onions (reserving some for later) and cook until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add spices:  Stir in sliced chilies, chili powder, and crushed garlic. Cook for about 1 minute until fragrant.  (Reserv...

Fiji-Style Golden Fruit Cake Recipe Ingredients: 2 cups fruit cake mix   1/4 cup raisins   1/2 cup apple juice (or any fruit juice of your choice)   1 cup  brown sugar (200 grams) 2 sticks butter, room temperature (250 grams)   1 tablespoon orange rind   1 tablespoon lemon rind   4 eggs, room temperature   2 cups all-purpose flour (320 grams)   1 teaspoon baking powder   1 teaspoon salt   1/4 teaspoon nutmeg powder   1 teaspoon pumpkin spice mix (or substitute with 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder) Instructions: Preheat your oven to 325°F (160°C). Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper or grease it well.  Combine the fruit cake mix, raisins, and apple juice in a bowl.  Optional: Rinse the dried fruit to remove any sticky residue before adding the juice.  Let the fruit soak while you prepare the batter. You can soak it a few hours ahead if preferred...

  Ingredients: Makes 20-30 pieces  2 cups chickpea flour/channa besan/gram flour 14 oz condensed milk (1 can) 2 tablespoon + 1/2 cup ghee 2 tablespoon + 1/2 cup liquid milk  1 tablespoon cardamom powder  chopped nuts for garnishing  1/4 teaspoon mace/javatri powder *optional but highly recommended* 1/4 teaspoon salt **if desired** few strand of saffron * optional  Method:  In a large bowl, add gram flour, 2 tablespoons of milk and 2 tablespoons of ghee. Mix well and rub between your palms to ensure that all ingredients are well incorporated. Break up any large lumps. You can sieve the mixture if you'd prefer or pulse in a blender for a few seconds to break up any lumps.  Add 1/2 cup of ghee in a heavy bottom pan over medium low heat. When warm, add gram flour mixture and roast for 20-25 minutes on low flame, stirring frequently. The mixture will turn to a golden orange in color and will have a beautiful aroma. Add 1/2 cup milk *you may soak the sa...

 Ingredients: 1 (4-5 lb) chicken cut into pieces  3 cups basmati rice 1 cup onions, sliced 1 head of garlic, crushed 2 inch ginger, grated/crushed handful of cilantro leaves (plus some more for garnishing)  5-8 chili peppers crushed/grated (or to taste) 1 sprig of curry leaves 2 Indian bay leaves 1 cinnamon stick 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1 star anise  2.5 tablespoons + 1 tablespoon pulao masala 1 tablespoon hot Fiji masala or garam masala 1/4 cup ghee 3 tablespoons oil (or additional ghee) salt to taste (start with 1 teaspoon and adjust to your liking) 4.5 cups room temperature/cold water  Method: Thoroughly wash your chicken pieces after cutting. Marinate your chicken pieces with 1 tablespoon of pulao masala either overnight or 1-2 hours before cooking. The longer you marinate it, the better! Grind your garlic, ginger, hot peppers, and cilantro to a fine paste.  Wash and soak your rice right before you start cooking -- approximately 30 minutes In a big, heav...

Corned/Tinned mutton is a family staple in many Fijian households. I remember eating it at least once every couple of months while growing up in Fiji. Now, its more of an indulgence but definitely a family favorite! I like to cook tin mutton in a few different, but when I am in a hurry, this is my go-to method. Its fast, easy, and so good! It makes a wonderful breakfast with some roti and lal cha! YUM!!! Ingredients: 1 can (11.5 oz or 326 grams) tin mutton (I swear these used to be bigger!) 1.5 tablespoon oil  1 cup onions, sliced 2 tablespoons crushed garlic 1 inch ginger, crushed 3-8 chili peppers (or to your liking) 1 sprig of curry leaves (optional but highly recommended)  1 tablespoon tomato paste or 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes   salt to taste Method: Heat oil in a non-stick ceramic pan over medium heat.  Once oil is hot, add sliced onions and sauté until golden, approximately 2-3 minutes.  Add ginger, garlic, hot peppers, and curry leaves and sauté for a minu...

On a cold day, nothing beats a plate of hot bhajias with some cha (tea). Growing up, we had these as after school snacks from the ("gadi la") cart vendor, smothered in tamarind sauce. It was such a delightful treats, one that I clearly didn't start appreciating until moving away from Fiji. Even today, whenever I bite into these bhajias, I always remember those fond memories of my primary school days. Ahhh.. the "gadi la admi" (cart vendor guy) made childhood lovely! Ingredients: 1 cup gram flour/chickpea flour/besan 1 cup all-purpose flour  1 teaspoon baking powder  1/4 teaspoon turmeric  1/2 teaspoon carmon seeds (ajwain) 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera) 1 cup finely sliced onions 2 cups chopped spinach (measured after its cut) 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro  4-5 cloves of garlic, crushed  chili pepper to taste  1 teaspoon salt  water (enough to make a dropping batter consistency) neutral-flavored oil for frying (I used canola) Method: Heat oil in a ...

If there is only one barfi recipe that you need for Diwali, then this is it! I've worked on getting this recipe just right for a while now and after much hard work and determination, I have come up with a barfi that is amazingly delicious! If you've ever had yellow barfi from a certain vendor in Fiji that is famous for its sweets, then you know how incredibly delicious and decadent it is. This recipe is close to, if not just like it! I am so proud of this recipe and I really hope you give it a try! I am sure you will not be disappointed!  Ingredients: Makes 12-15 pieces  2 cups full fat milk powder  3 tablespoons ghee  3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream/double cream drop of yellow food coloring  Sprinkles for decorating (optional)       For syrup 1 cup sugar  1/2 cup water  Method: In a mixing bowl, add milk powder, and the ghee in 2-3 increments. Mix well by rubbing in between your palms after each addition.  Add 1 drop of yel...

Ingredients: Makes 15-20 laddus 1 cup fine semolina 1 cup full fat milk powder 1/2 cup powdered sugar (adjust to taste) 1/4 cup condensed milk 1-2 tsp ground cardamom (ellaichi) pinch of fresh nutmeg melted/warm ghee as needed (approximately 1/2 cup or more) Method: In a heavy-bottom pan, on medium-low dry roast the semolina/sooji until it is golden brown and aromatic. This can take anywhere from 7-10 minutes. Don't increase heat as it may cause the sooji/semolina to burn. Transfer to a flat bowl or plate. While still warm, add powdered sugar, milk powder, cardamom, and nutmeg. Mix well ensuring that the mix is relatively lump free. Add in condensed milk and mix really well. Using clean hands, make sure the condensed milk is evenly distributed. Add in ghee one teaspoon at a time working into the mixture until it starts coming together when binding into a ladoo. Form ladoos. If the mixture starts feeling dry, add more ghee and continue mixing well and forming ladoos/balls ...

One of the hardest items to "veganize" are all milk dishes and milk barfi from Fiji is just that. Its basically milk and sugar. I have been on a quest to make a vegan version of the barfi because my daughter cannot have milk due to an allergy and I am so happy with the results of this version! It has the same mouth-feel and the taste is very close! You don't really taste the coconut flavor too much and the flour helps mellow out the flavors and soak up some of the extra oil that coconut milk powder tends to create. I've used the same techinque as the classic Fiji Style Milk Barfi  and it works with this mix. I really hope you give this one a try, even if you aren't vegan :)  Ingredients 1 lb (454 grams) Coconut Milk Powder  1 cup All Purpose Flour  1-2 tsp cardamom powder (ellaichi)  [adjust as needed] For Syrup:  1.5-2 cups sugar [adjust as needed] 1 cup water  Sprinkles for decorations  Method Add flour to a pan over medium-low heat. Dry roast f...

Ingredients: Cassava cake: 2 cups grated cassava/yucca 1 cup (8 fl. oz) coconut cream 1/2 cup dark brown sugar 1 tsp freshly grated ginger 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg pinch of salt 1 egg yolk* (optional) Custard Topping: 2 egg yolks 1/2 cup coconut cream 4 oz of coconut condensed milk (or regular condensed milk) 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg pinch of salt Method: Preheat an oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9 inch baking pan and line with parchment paper. Whisk the cassava, coconut cream, dark brown sugar, ginger, nutmeg, pinch of salt and egg yolk (if using) together in a bowl until thoroughly combined.  Pour mixture into the greased baking pan and bake for 30 minutes.   Meanwhile, prepare the custard topping. Add all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl and whisk until very well combined.  Once the cassava cake is slightly browned and cooked, remove from the oven and add custard topping.  Bake for an additional 15 m...

This recipe is for a half and half pie with two different flavored custards. If you'd like to make only one flavor, please double the recipe for the custard filling. If you'd like a thick crust, as shown in this picture, please double the crust recipe. Ingredients: Crust (thin crust/ double for thick crust)  1.5 cups all purpose flour 1/2 cup sugar 3 tbsp butter [I used vegan butter sticks to make this dairy free]  1/2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp baking soda 2 eggs pinch of salt Vanilla Custard (for half pie/ double for full pie with one flavor custard only)  1 cup milk [I used oat milk to make this dairy free]  1/4 cup sugar pinch of salt 3 tbsp custard powder 1 tbsp vanilla 2 tbsp water desiccated coconut* (optional for topping) Pumpkin Pie Custard (for half pie/ double for full pie with one flavor custard only)  1 cup milk  [I used oat milk to make this dairy free]  1/4 cup sugar pinch of salt 3 tbsp c...

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 ...