Culinary Adventures with Camilla

We traveled by tabletop to Samoa for dinner last week in our Cooking Around the World Adventure . I am just finally getting around to blogging about it. I figured that I'd better catch up since we've already cooked from our next country. When I read that one of the most important aspects of the Samoan cuisine is that it is not heavily spiced and is characterized by the use of coconut milk and cream, I had not idea just how un-heavily spiced it would be...or how much coconut milk and cream I would be using. This dinner was not a hit. D called it 'blank.' Some of the most popular Samoan foods are taro, bananas, coconut, breadfruit, shellfish, pork and chicken. A traditional method of cooking uses a Samoan umu , an above-ground stone oven heated by glowing hot lava rocks. The food is placed on the rocks, braided into coconut fronds or wrapped in banana leaves. A bit about Samoa... Samoa is an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean. While it has been inhabited...

This blank rice went with the blank fish AKA Sua I'a ! I even added some dried, shredded coconut on top and it was still...blah. I think that, perhaps, with a spicy curry or other strong flavor it would be great. But, with the milk coconuty fish soup, it was not a hit.  Note: In Samoan cuisine, this is not a sidedish; it's more of a savory snack. 2 C brown jasmine rice 2 C water 1 C coconut milk dried, unsweetened, grated coconut (optional) Bring the rice and water to the boil in a medium saucepan. Once it boils, reduce the heat and leave to steam, tightly covered, for about 20 minutes until the rice is has absorbed all the water and the grains are completely cooked. Turn off the heat. Pour in the coconut milk and season with salt. Cover tightly again and let stand for 10-15 minutes. Spoon into individual serving bowls and garnish with coconut, if desired.

This is a very simple soup without a lot of seasoning. D's assessment made me chuckle. "Mom, it's blank."  What?!  "You know - blank. Plain."  Do you mean bland...with a 'd'.  "No. I mean blank."  Okay. You're right. It is blank...and bland. Ingredients 1 pound firm white fish (I used cod) 1 onion, peeled and diced 2 shallots, peeled and diced pat of butter splash of olive oil 1 can (14 oz) coconut milk 2 C water freshly ground salt to taste 2 Spring onions, thinly sliced Procedure In a large, flat-bottom pan, saute the onions and shallots in a pat of butter and a splash of olive oil. Lay the fish in the pan and add the coconut milk and water. Season with salt. Bring to the boil, then, cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for up to 10 minutes, until the fish is opaque and firm. When the fish is cooked, remove from the heat. Ladle soup into individual serving bowls and garnish wit...