Tribewanted: Vorovoro

Big Bula sia from Jenny and the ladies working in the Vorovoro kitchens!

Welcome to the first installment of ‘Healthy, happy, Vorovoro yummy!’ As usual we have been enjoying cooking and eating delicious, healthy food on the island so over the next six weeks I feel inspired to share some recipes with you and some of our tips for maximizing flavour and nutrition in your food. Woohoo!
I am going to share with you some healthy advice from our kitchen superstars and ask the Team Fiji boys for some ideas so we can get the Fijian perspective also.

To start things off here is a recipe for one of my favourite healthy treats

Gomashio

Gomashio is a delicious dry seasoning made from toasting and grinding unhulled seasame seeds (goma) and salt (shio). It is sprinkled over meals all over Japan and is commonly used by those ultra healthy people who follow a macrobiotic diet. Tribemembers have been loving a sprinkle of the old Gomashio on their dinners.

This seasoning has numerous health benefits including:
•    De-acidifing the blood (consuming too many acidic foods can cause trigger many diseases)
•    Strengthening and soothing the digestive system
•    Healing blood related diseases icluding diabeties and cancer.
•    A good source of Omega 3 and 6 oils for healthy brain and heart function 
•    A great way for salt lovers to lower their salt intake and still have something tasty to sprinkle on their meals.
•    Improving energy levels 
•    Enhancing the nutrition in your meal

Sounds great…lets make some!

To make one cup you need:
Unhulled Seasame seeds (50g = 1 cup seasoning) You’ll want to make lots more next time!
Salt (sea salt is best)
The ratio of seasame seeds to salt can vary according to your taste and your diet, generally ranging between 5:1 (5 parts sesame seeds to 1 part salt) and 15:1. I don’t like mine too salty so I like to use 50g of seeds to one level tablespoon of salt.

Here’s how we do it!
Heat a frying pan (cast iron if you have one) and toast the salt until it turns a greyish colour, set aside. Toast the seasame seeds, stirring constantly until they start popping and turn a lovely deep brown. (You’re best off watching them as they burn very quickly!) Set aside and spread on a plate to cool. When cool grind in a pestle and motar just until the seeds start to release their oils and you have a coarse powder. Crush the salt and mix with the crushed seeds.

Store your tasty gomashio in a tightly closed glass jar, keep in a cool dry place and use within a few months. It is delicious as a topping for almost any dish but especially brown rice, salad, baked potatoes, steamed green veggies and stir-frys. I sometimes add crushed black pepper and a bit of nutmeg if I’m in the mood. Gomashi-GO!

Healthy eating Fijian style

Now for an insight into healthy eating Fijian style from our resident coconut monkey and all round great guy, Nemani.

“To be healthy, eat some Fijian food. You can eat plenty green vegetables, buy your food fresh from the market and eat it fresh …don’t eat too much cake because you are sweet already!”

“The produce that is in season in the market now is cheaper and more tasty. This is why we buy our food fresh from the market. In October we have pineapples, tomatoes and sweet potatoes in season. This is the best time of the year to eat these things.”

Nemani’s all time favourite healthy dish; boiled fresh fish with green vegetables and cassava. Salty popcorn is good for a treat at night time when you have been hard at work in the day. Vinaka vaka levu Nemani.

Todays Top Tips for a healthy, happy tummy…

• Try not to drink during meals. Have a drink 20 minutes either side of eating. Liquid dilutes your stomach acid and also can wash away nutrients before they have been properly absorbed. Drinking water 20 mins before a meal also stops you from overeating because quite often when we feel hungry, we are actually thirsty!

• Rest for at least ten minutes after eating if you can for optimum digestion and always eat sitting down.

• Try not to eat if you are angry or upset…these feelings are reflected in your tummy and you won’t absorb the nutrition as you should.

Good quality, fresh food, eaten in a relaxed manner can only mean good things for our health. Healthy = Happy!

Next time…

We have a recipe for Vorovoro crunchy salad and tasty dressing ideas, Francis gives her recommendations in the kitchen for a healthy family, Tribe and happy tummies and Jenny’s top ten tasty tips!

I’d like to finish this first installment of ‘Healthy, happy, Vorovoro yummy’ with a plea to all Tribemembers….eat more broccoli! I can’t compliment this vegetable enough. It is one of the healthiest things on the planet. I haven’t eaten it for almost four months now and I’m missing its superpowers! If you have access to some broccoli, go and buy it (homegrown/organic/local if possible), steam it or stirfry, dip it in humous it or have it raw in a salad….do it for me! Vinaka!
Moce for now. Lomani Jenny x