Six days at
Rarotonga in the Cook Islands is not enough time to experience the variety of wholesome eating options around the Island. My
first visit in 1997 it was Trader Jacks that was the main dining place where expats,
locals and tourists could enjoy a substantial meal and a refreshing beverage.
Twenty years
on and Trader Jacks is still standing, although it has been rebuilt a couple of
times due to cyclones. But, today there is
over fifty cafes and restaurants to experience.
My recent visit to Rarotonga, I did experience Tamarind House lunching
on a delicious corn fritter with an avocado salsa and on leaving I also got to meet
Sue Carruthers the co-owner of Tamarind House, The Rickshaw Café offering Asian
cuisine and La Casita Mexican Café. Her second
and more recent recipe book South Seas Cuisine was on display and it got us
chatting.
She was born
in Nairobi, lived and studied in London whilst working in hospitality during the sixties. She’s travelled Europe, India and South East Asia
and lived in Cape Town, South Africa where she set up several pizza
places with her then husband. In 1979 with her husband and
daughter set sail from Cape Town and sailed and worked their way to Rarotonga
arriving in 1984. This is so much more to this woman I could possibly fit
within this blog, but Sue did tell and gave me the recipe to one of her
favourite recipes.
Fabulous Fish Curry
Ingredients
Fish Curry
750g fish
fillets
1 tablespoon
garam masala or mild curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
4-5
tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon
mustard seeds
1 large
onion, finely chopped
2 cloves
crushed garlic
1 teaspoons
grated ginger
1 teaspoon crushed
bottled chilli or 2-3 fresh red chillies, seeded and chopped
Spice Blend
1 teaspoon
turmeric
2 teaspoons
ground cumin or cumin seeds
4 teaspoons
ground coriander
¼ teaspoon
cinnamon
Pinch cloves
¼ teaspoons
freshly ground black pepper
Mix the
spices together in a small bowl
Sauce
4 large
fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped or use 1 x 425g can tomatoes, crushed
2 cups
coconut cream
Salt to
taste
1 teaspoon
garam masala
2 level
teaspoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon
chopped fresh coriander or basil
Juice of 1
lemon
Method
Cut fish
fillets into large cubes. Stir the 1
tablespoon gram masala and salt together.
Toss fish cubes in the garam masala mix.
Keep aside or refrigerate while preparing sauce.
Heat 1
tablespoon oil in a pan and cook mustard seeds until they start to pop. Remove the seeds and put aside on a
plate. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in the
same pot and cook onion and garlic until soft.
Add the ginger and crushed chilli and cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Stir
in the spice blend and cook until aromatic.
Add chopped tomatoes and popped mustard seeds, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in 1 cup coconut cream and cook for 5
minutes over a gentle heat or until sauce is reduced.* In a separate frying pan heat remaining 2
tablespoons of oil and seal the fish cubes on all sides until golden.
Add the fish
cubes to the curry sauce and simmer until just cooked through. Stir in the 1 teaspoon garam masala,
remaining cup of coconut cream, brown sugar, fresh coriander and lemon
juice. Stir only once and then serve
immediately. Serve with rice and/or
chapatti and the chutney of your choice.
*Hint
Recipe can be prepared in advance to this
stage, cooked and kept refrigerated, ready to finish at serving time.
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| Tamarind House - ocean view dining |
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| Fabulous Fish Curry - Sue Carruthers |
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| Good bye Rarotonga until next time... |
Storyteller eco cycling tours
Snorkelling
Aitutaki Day Tour
Night SUP
Stroll through Hidden Secret Garden
Raro Safari Tour
Complimentary use of bikes, snorkelling equipment, SUP and kayaks when staying at SeaChange Villas
Exclusive offer:
Book your Cook Island holiday with Travel With A Difference during 2017 and receive a complimentary $50 dining voucher for Tamarind House.
Read on:
Discover more of my time in the Cook Islands on page 142
Read on:
Discover more of my time in the Cook Islands on page 142