Down To Kokoda....We'll Get There Fast And Then We'll Take It Slow.

NATIONAL DISH OF FIJI - Kokoda

 Kokoda begins by taking raw fish and marinating it in lime juice, similar to Ceviche. The citric acid of the limes leads to denaturing of the proteins in the fish, which "cooks" and makes it firm. Now that may all sound weird or concerning, but don't fear, it is not hazardous at all.

I've made Ceviche a few times (including once for Idol Theme Cooking "South American Night"), unfortunately they never turn out quite so well. So I was apprehensive about attempting Kokoda, but equally determind.

Now I apologise to any Fijians reading this post, for I believe I was mispronouncing Kokoda. I was pronouncing it as Ko-ko-da, but have since read it's meant to be Ko-kon-dah.


For the recipe, follow this link:
http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/11814/fijian+kokoda+raw+fish+salad

Enjoy, or as they say in Fiji, kana vaka levu!

Difficulty:       5 

Appearance:  3 

Taste:             2 

TOTAL:        10

Alas, it happened again! The Gods of "cooking" raw fish (PS. worst deity ever!) were once again not looking on me kindly. I think it was because I didn't slice the fish into smaller portions, for even though they were still white and firm, they tasted chewy and "undercooked". Now ordinarily I am not a fan of coconut (except at Christmas Times K Horns), but I needed to put more coconut cream in it to make it bearable. Take note though, this is not necessarily a critique on the recipe, more so my poor implementation of it.

Having said that, the rest of the vegetables contrasted the fish with a great crunchy taste and plenty of colour. and the chili gave it a good bite.

Maybe one day I'll get this recipe right.....