Eating Around the World (From Home....And Gluten Free...): Tonga

Welcome to Tonga! In October, we went to Hawaii with my parents and visited the Polynesian Cultural Center. We learned about Tonga there - it was very interesting. From everything I have heard and read, which isn't a ton, says that the people of Tonga are extremely proud, but extremely kind. I think I would like to visit someday, but it also is a place of high heat and humidity. We'll have to see...According to Google, the population of Tonga is 108,000 people and the capital is Nuku'alofa. Their national dish is...

'Ota 'ika!

It literally translates to "raw fish". Sounds delicious, right? Not really... When I was looking for other recipes to do with the 'Ota 'ika, all I could find was "Tonga Toast" from Disneyland. Not exactly what I was looking for...I did find recipes for Tongan Chili Lime Chicken, Chop Suey, and Otai. Otai is a drink with several different fruits in several different ways. It was a lot of food! Here's what I did:

'OTA 'IKA

1/2 pound white fish
juice of 4-5 limes
3 green onions, chopped
1 small cucumber, seeds removed and cut into pieces

3 tomatoes, chopped
2 bell peppers (red), sliced
1 can coconut milk
salt and pepper, to taste

Cut the fish into small bite-sized pieces and put into a bowl.
Squeeze the limes and pour juice over the fish.
Mix well, cover and put in the fridge to marinate overnight.
Take the fish from the fridge, add the cucumber, tomatoes, peppers and green onions.
Pour the coconut cream over and mix well.
Taste, adding salt and pepper as needed.
Serve chilled, and enjoy!

(Source: 'Ota 'ika and 'Ota 'ika)

OTAI

5 C shredded watermelon (I used a fork, and kept the juice for the recipe)

20 oz canned crushed pineapple with juice
1/2 C shredded fresh coconut
13.5 oz canned coconut milk

1 lime, freshly squeezed
2 C water

3 tbsp sugar, to taste

In a large bowl, combined the shredded watermelon with the crushed pineapple and juice, shredded coconut, lime juice, and coconut milk.
Mix in 2-3 cups water to desired consistency.
Stir in sugar to taste.
Serve chilled with crushed ice if desired.

(Source: Otai and Otai)

TONGAN CHILI LIME CHICKEN

4 chicken thighs

2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbs ginger, grated
1 tsp coriander
½ tsp cardamom
1 C avocado oil
1/4 C lime juice
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 C pineapple juice
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 C seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard

Large pinch nutmeg
1/2 C fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
2 fresh red chilies, thinly sliced

Put the chicken and sliced chilies in a ziplock bag.
Using a mortar and pestle, grind the garlic, ginger, coriander and cardamom to make a paste.
Transfer this paste to a food processor and add all the remaining marinade ingredients except the chilies, and whizz until smooth.
Pour the marinade over the chicken to coat.
Marinate overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350.
Drain the chicken from the marinade and bake the chicken pieces for 25 minutes, or until juices run clear.
Remove from the oven, transfer onto a serving plate, cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and enjoy!

(Source: Tongan Chili Lime Chicken)

CHOP SUEY

2 tsp avocado oil

1 can of Corned Beef
6-8 cloves chopped Garlic
3-4 tbsp fresh Ginger, chopped
2 carrots, finely diced
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 pkt Vermicelli rice noodles
Boiled water
1/2 C gluten free Soy Sauce
1 heaped tsp Brown Sugar

Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat.
Fry the corned beef in the oil for 2 minutes.
Add the garlic and ginger to the meat, and cook for two minutes.
Add the carrots and the pepper to the meat mixture, and cook until soft.
While pepper and carrots are cooking in the meat mixture, put the noodles in a large bowl, and cover with boiling water, and cook according to directions.
Use some scissors and cut the noodles into smaller pieces.
Drain the noodles, and add to the meat mixture.
Add soy sauce and brown sugar to the mixture, and combine.
Let it cook for 5 minutes on medium-low heat.
Serve hot and enjoy!

(Source: Chop Suey)

The verdict? This was a mixed verdict. I did not like the 'Ota 'ika at all. I did try it, but it was not good. Even Handsome Husband didn't think it was great. The lime taste was overpowering and the texture of the fish was not good at all. But without the fish the lime was good and it was overall fairly tasty. The Otai was good, but not great. It was very strange drinking something with all those chunks. I think it would have been better blended with ice. It had good flavor, but just weird drinking something with that many chunks. The Tongan Chili Lime Chicken was OK. It smelled better than it tasted. It had a sweet taste that didn't really match what my brain was telling me chicken should taste like. We really enjoyed the Chop Suey though! It wasn't as salty as when we did it for Samoa, and it was much more enjoyable. It was a hearty meal, and one I wouldn't mind repeating parts of!