The time I spent in Tahiti and Moorea, was enchanting. Its easy to see why this is such a popular Honeymoon destination. The beaches are beautiful, with crystal clear inviting water. The history is equally enthralling and the tiki statues dotted around the island lend a magical touch. Most important though is the lush vegetation. The peaked centres of each island (formed from underwater volcanic eruptions) are covered with beautiful swathes of verdant flora. And it is these trees, both indigenous and otherwise, the form the basis for Polynesian cuisine.
On a tour of the island I discovered that owning landis regarded as one of the most important things to Polynesian families, with plots being handed down from generation to generation. On each families plot you can find a combination of the five trees that bear the staple foods for their diet – breadfruit, banana, coconut, lime and papaya. Protein comes in the form of freshly caught seafood and organically reared chicken. The roots of this diet (which is surpringly high in fat and carbs) come from a time when locals were hunters, gatherers and fishers, and could easily burn off their consumed calories through their activities. However my guide informed me that modern islanders tend to buy their meat from a supermarket nowadays and have adopted a westernised sedentary lifestyle. Along with a distinctly relaxed attitude to life in general, this has meant that obesity is on the rise. Even in some of the most isolated places on earth, globalisation and commerciaism are having an impact.
Regardless of its calorific content, traditional Polynesian food is quite delicious. Poisson Cru, the national dish, is similar to south american cerviche but is augmented with coconut milk and served with local fruits. French influences are also understandably strong and I sampled a fresh seafood carppacio and white fish cooked en papillote (with banana leaves standing in for the usual baking parchment.) My favourite dish however, was an especially interesting fusion of flavours which I sampled at one of the many Rolloutes or food vans, dotted around Papeete: a Tahitian Chevrette Curry. Thats prawns to me and you. The dish is made using traditional south asian curry spices, but is made uniquely polynesian with the addition of coconut, lime, papaya and the delicate scent of Tahitian vanilla seeds. The idea of fruit and vanilla in a curry may sound challenging, especially when paired with seafood, but it really is quite delicious. Besides, there is only one way to find out…
Level: medium
Methods: tempering spices
Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Makes: feeds 4
Ingredients
2tbsp vegetable oil
3 small sweet potatoes, peeled
1 onion
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 mild red chilli, halved and deseeded
1 inch ginger, peeled
1tsp coriander
1tsp paprika
1/2tsp turmeric
1/2tsp cumin
1/2tsp fenugreek
1 cinnamon stick, broken
2 cloves
200 ml coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla seeds
500g prawns (frozen is fine)
1 pinches black pepper
3 papaya, peeled and cubed
juice of 1 lime
Method
1. Chop the sweet potato into large chunks, and boil in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for around 10 minutes or until tender. Drain.
2. Place the onion, garlic, chilli and ginger in a small food processor and blitz to make a paste.
3. Heat the oil in a clean wok and gently fry the dry spices for 30 seconds or until they release their aroma. Then add the onion paste and fry for a further 3-4 minutes.
4. When softened, add the coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Do not boil.
5. Stir in the vanilla seeds and prawns. Simmer together for 4-5 minutes and season.
6. Add the cooked sweet potato and cook for a further few minutes.
7. Stir in the papaya and lime juice. Remove the clove and cinnamon.
8. Garnish with spring onion or chopped coriander and serve with plain boiled rice.
Mastication / Destination 