Fiji Islands Indian Food

Indian indentured plantation laborers in the Fiji Islands included people of many different castes. Even though these Indians belonged to different caste system they had to live, work and eat together. Fiji Indian Food taste completely different from different parts of India. Most native Fijian’s learned to cook and eat Indian food. Here is one of the most common curry recipes from Fiji.

Potato and peas curry
Ingredients
7-8 medium potato (peeled, chopped and large cubed)
2 cups peas (soaked overnight)
3 eggplant (peeled and small cubed)
1 medium onion (fine chopped)
5 clove garlic
chilli (optional)
11/2-teaspoon cumin
½-teaspoon mustard seed
5 fenugreek seeds
Salt for taste
11/2- tablespoon coriander powder
½-teaspoon Turmeric
2-tablespoon curry leaf
¼ cup fresh coriander leaf
2 medium tomatoes
Boiled water
Cooking oil

Procedure
1) Rinse the soaked peas. In a saucepan cover it with boiling water, add salt and cook for 30-40 minutes or till soft not broken up.
2) In another saucepan fry, fenugreek, onion, pounded ingredients and 1- tablespoon curry leaves in the cooking oil until they are roughly cooked. Add coriander powder and Turmeric; mix thoroughly. Stir in paste chopped potatoes, eggplant and salt. Mix well
3)Cook until eggplant gets sticky at the bottom. (do not let it burn) Partially cover it with boiling water.
4)Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are half cooked. Add boiled peas, and cover it for 4-5 minutes or until potatoes are full cooked (do not let the potatoes to break).
5)Add tomatoes, coriander leaves and left over curry leaves. Stir, Simmer for 2 minute and reduce from heat.

Serve potato and peas curry with Roti or Puri

This is a very common food in the Fiji Islands. Majority Indian homes cook this dish 4 times in a week. Since I moved here in Buffalo I cook this dish once in a month. You can do whole lot with this recipe. I cannot find curry leaves in Tops or Wal-Mart so I buy Italian parsley and coriander leaves. I take little bit of each to chop and throw in the pot. I mean with this curry you can throw in the pot any sort of fresh vegetables it will taste the same. I hope.