Vanuatu

 Welcome to Vanuatu!  The pictures of this country look amazing...and hot...It looks incredible.  Vanuatu is located in the South Pacific, and is a country made of 83 different islands.  There is a lot of volcanic activity in these islands, great snorkeling, and what looks to be a relaxing destination.  According to Google, the population of Vanuatu is 327,777 people and the capital is Port Vila.  Their national dish is...

 

 

Lap Lap!

Lap Lap is a meal that is made in banana leaves and steamed.  It has many different types (chicken, veggie, fish, etc) and is full of veggies.  To go with the lap lap, I made coconut sweet potato soup with spicy shrimp and mango ice cream. We invited some Fantastic Friends for a meal, and had a great time.  Here's what I did:

LAP LAP

Lap Lap 

2 large banana leaves
3 cups coconut milk

2 cassava roots, peeled and grated

2 taro roots, peeled and grated
4 plantains, peeled and grated
Salt to taste

2 C spinach

 

Chicken

1 large banana leaf 

8 chicken thighs
Juice of 1 lime
Avocado oil
1/2 tsp turmeric
1.5 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp cardamom seeds
1 jalapeño
2 cloves garlic

Sauce

5 cloves garlic
2 tbsp thinly sliced ginger
Juice and zest of 2 small limes
1 tbsp flour
200 ml coconut milk
2 spring onion, finely sliced
Salt & pepper

1. Preheat oven to 356 F.
2. Lay one banana leaf in a casserole dish.
3. Cover banana leaf and casserole dish with grated cassava root, taro root, and plantains (keep them in separate piles) and pour 100ml of coconut milk over the piles. 
4. Season heavily with salt and pepper. 
5. Place the spinach on top of the cassava, taro and plantains.
6. Pour 100ml of coconut milk over everything again, and cover with another banana leaf and cover with foil.
7. Place chicken pieces in a large bowl.
8. Grind spices in a mortar & pestle then add chili and garlic and grind together to form paste.
9. Add lime juice and oil to the paste then pour over and coat chicken pieces completely (I had to use my hands to mix the chicken and the marinade).
10. Place chicken in a roasting dish, on top of a banana leaf.
11. Put both the lap lap and chicken in the oven to roast for 40 minutes. 
12. After 40 minutes remove the foil and top banana leaf off the lap lap and roast for a further 20 minutes.
13. Remove the chicken when it is cooked through.
14. To make the sauce, place a tablespoon of oil in a pan with the ginger and garlic over a low heat.
15. Cook for several minutes then add the flour to form a paste and cook for a few more minutes.
16. Add the coconut milk, lime juice and zest and spring onions and cook for 10 minutes over a low heat.
17. Season with salt and pepper.
18. To serve, dish up a little bit of everything, and put the sauce over the chicken.
19. Enjoy!

(Source: Lap Lap and Lap Lap)

 

COCONUT SWEET POTATO SOUP WITH SPICY SHRIMP

Spice Mix
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp coriander
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

For The Soup
1 tsp avocado oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
6 C chicken broth

3 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

13 1/2-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper, to taste

Fresh spinach, for garnish

1 1/2 lb shrimp

1. Mix spices in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. 
3. Cook onions, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until translucent. 
4. Add sweet potatoes and broth, bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. 
5. Simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes, until potatoes are tender.
6. Puree the soup using an immersion blender. 
7. Once the soup is pureed and in the pot, add the coconut milk, lime juice, salt and cayenne. 
8. Stir to combine. 
9. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. 
10. Set aside, covered, while you cook the shrimp.
11. Put shrimp in a mixing bowl, pour the spice on top and toss to coat. 
12. Skewer the shrimp on to kabobs.
13. Grill over high heat for 2 minutes per side.
14. Heat the soup gently, if need be, until it's hot. 
15. Ladle soup into shallow bowls. 
16. Place 3-4 shrimp in each bowl and add a small pile of shredded spinach to the center of each bowl. 
17. Serve hot and enjoy!

(Source: Coconut Sweet Potato Soup with Spicy Shrimp) 

 

MANGO ICE CREAM

2 C mango pulp

6 oz mango, diced

1 1/2 C sugar

1 C milk

1 1/2 C evaporated milk

4 eggs

3 tbsp lime juice

1. Place the mixing drum of your ice cream maker in the freezer until ready to make the ice cream. 
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sugar, and beat until light and fluffy.
3. Add milk, evaporated milk, and lime juice until well combined.
4. Slowly fold in the mango pulp and diced mango. 
5. Refrigerate overnight.
6. About 40 minutes before you are ready for your ice cream, put the ice cream mixture into the frozen drum of the ice cream maker.
7. Follow the instructions for your ice cream maker and make the ice cream.
8. Enjoy!

 (Source: Mango Ice Cream)

 

The verdict?  This meal was OK.  I had higher hopes for it.  The lap lap was very bland - we found ourselves salting it quite a bit.  We also found that parts of it were cooked very well and had a lot of flavor from the coconut milk, and other parts of it were very dry.  I think If I were to make it again, I would add more coconut milk.  The chicken was interesting.  Again, it didn't really have very much flavor.  The sauce on the chicken didn't seem to fit.  I wouldn't bother making the sauce.  The soup was very good, but eating it on a warm day seemed wrong.  It had really good flavor!  The shrimp was spicy, but fit really nicely with the coconut and sweet potato flavors.  The ice cream was very good.  I think in the future, having a creamy mango ice cream would be better than the pulp and diced mangoes that make it a very chunky ice cream, but the flavors were very good.

 

      

 

 

ME

Taste of Lap Lap (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 4

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 4

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Lap Lap (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 5

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 4

 

ME

Taste of Coconut Sweet Potato Soup with Spicy Shrimp (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 7

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 3

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 6

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Coconut Sweet Potato Soup with Spicy Shrimp (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 7

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 2

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 6

 

ME

Taste of Mango Ice Cream (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 7

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 7

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Mango Ice Cream (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 7

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 6

 

Stay tuned for Senegal, our next country!