When you find a ‘secret’ Asian restaurant by accident

When you find a ‘secret’ Asian restaurant by accident

by | Food Stories

We found this food gem in East Tamaki by accident. I had forgotten to book at the restaurant we actually came for, and the wait to be seated there was going to be an hour or so and we were too hungry to wait. Soooo we were like… hmmm… where else could we go in this area?

And that’s how we stumbled upon 100 Spicy Foods restaurant, except I had no idea what this place was called until after I got home and Googled it. I couldn’t find a single sign in the restaurant that stated its name…at least not in English.

I also couldn’t see any non-Asian diners there that night. Seasoned Asian cuisine lovers know that’s a great sign that the food here just might be amazing.

I was not disappointed.

The adventure started with us grabbing a bowl and choosing what we like from a smorgasbord of meat, seafood, fresh vegetables, noodles, tofu, etc. Then we got our bowls weighed and paid $4 (NZD) per every hundred grams. What a genius way for a buffet style diner to cut down on food wastage!

Next, we decided whether we wanted our food bowls turned into stir fry (dry hot pot) or a soup (hot pot) – we went with soup and oh my gosh!

I must have chosen the best ingredients for my soup because it was a perfectly balanced seafood to ham flavour in some type of magic broth that pulled in the essence of vegetables and spice and… I don’t know how to describe food.

It was just… beautiful.

 

https://youtu.be/hS4s9VQ8bKE

But one thing was odd about the service that night. The guy (the manager? The server? He was also the cashier… anyway, we were seated at a table, but he brought our soups out in takeaway containers. It was definitely not closing time, so I wondered what that was about…until I clicked.

The soups were gigantic! The guy must have thought, surely these ladies are going to take their soup home for the whole family. Surely!

Poor guy obviously doesn’t get a lot of Islanders in this restaurant.

Let’s see if we can change that for him.

Does Whittaker’s Cocoa Samoa taste like Koko Samoa?

Does Whittaker’s Cocoa Samoa taste like Koko Samoa?

by | Food Stories, Our Food

I’m super late to this game, especially since Whittaker’s released their artisan ‘Cocoa Lovers Collection’ way back in 2020… but I had to find out (properly):

Does the Whittaker’s Cocoa Samoa Chocolate actually taste like Koko Samoa?

In case you didn’t know, cacao beans are a staple crop of the Pacific – we’ve been growing it since ages ago… and while we HAVE been exporting our cocoa beans to chocolate makers around the world, Samoans mostly consume our cocoa as Koko Samoa: a dark chunk of pure, unrefined cocoa that we like to boil up and drink hot.

 

It’s quite rare for chocolate makers to draw attention to Samoa as a source of their beans… and rarer still for them to name a product after us, so naturally, I wanted to see if our Whittaker’s namesake actually tastes like the koko we know and love.

The short answer? No.

I mean, its flavour is familiar, but I don’t think my taste buds are professional enough to recognize the distinctness of Samoa koko after it’s been refined this much.

Still, what I do taste is a pretty good piece of dark chocolate. It’s smooth and creamy and boldly ‘cocoa’, even on the sweeter end of dark chocolate flavours.

Not bad at all. 

The only thing missing – at least for my Samoan preference – is that beautiful, mildly bitter kick you get from actual Koko Samoa. 

https://youtu.be/sbeuKRw3drk
How to choose a good taro [with video guide]

How to choose a good taro [with video guide]

by | Our Food

So I only learned this skill recently….and I’m old. My excuse is that, for a Samoan girl, I’ve never reeeeaally been a fan of taro.

But apparently, as us Samoans start to age, our primal instincts rise more to the surface and we begin to crave the food of our elders and ancestors, so… taro.

This is probably why I suddenly needed a chunk of coconut cream taro (fa’alifu kalo) on my plate the other night, and why I had to swallow my pride and ask my elderly mother how to make it.

But even before that, I had to learn how to pick a good taro at the shops.

Here’s what I found out.

How does the taro look?

Taro comes in a lot of varieties and colours – pink, white, purple, etc. – but whatever its variety, you want to make sure the surface of the taro looks even and relatively uniform.

With some practice, you’ll learn the difference between the normal colour patterns on the taro and the discolouration that happens when the taro is not fresh.

How does the taro feel?

When you pick up the taro, it should feel dense and weighty for its size.

Make sure it passes the ‘finger-flick’ test: When you flick the taro a few times, it should sound full (not hollow) and feel firm.

You don’t want a taro that has soft or mushy spots. 

Check the tiapula

Finally, look for the end of the taro that was once connected to its stem. It’s the part that is noticeably different in texture from the rest of the taro.

Samoans call this the tiapula – if you separate this part and plant it, you can grow a whole new taro from it.

Anyway, make sure the tiapula looks freshly cut and still healthy.

If your taro passes all these checks, you’re good to go!

https://youtu.be/dVYYb2xXFX8
Big Fish Eatery in Penrose, Auckland

Big Fish Eatery in Penrose, Auckland

by | Food Stories

I spent several days looking online for a local seafood restaurant that had good food (ie. great reviews) but in a reasonable price range because… well… the budget. It was a bit of a mission, and I almost resorted to dipping into my savings to satisfy my seafood craving when a friend saved the day by recommending Big Fish Eatery in Penrose.

I looked it up online and was surprised by how local this restaurant is to me – my neighbourhood is not exactly renown for culinary delights. I was also encouraged by its wallet-friendly menu, but I still wasn’t convinced the food here would take care of my special level of seafood addiction.

The verdict?

It worked. Big Fish Eatery has a lovely selection of cleverly presented seafood treats. After a soft shell crab appetiser, I went big and ordered the mixed sashimi platter, which was perfect…and has deviously whetted my curiosity regarding all the other seafood dishes on the menu. I have to go back now to try the ceviche, the salmon carpaccio and salmon teriyaki, plus the tartare’d and tataki’d tuna, etc.

 

Big Fish’s menu also has plenty of non-oceanic treats for the less seafood inclined diners in your party. I really liked the karaage chicken and the pork belly prawn papaya salad that I stole from my friend’s plates.

But all my fellow fish-afficionado’s should rest assured: the name ‘Big Fish Eatery’ is not clickbait. This restaurant is definitely a place you can go to see about that seafood craving of yours.

https://youtu.be/Hl35LFd7pJg

Big Fish Eatery Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Sua alaisa – Samoa’s sweet, coconut cream rice soup

Sua alaisa – Samoa’s sweet, coconut cream rice soup

by | Our Food, Recipes

Taro, green banana and breadfruit are some ‘official’ staples in the Pacific, but we love our rice, too!

Samoans have several rice-based favourites, including koko alaisa and alaisa fa’apopo, but sua alaisa is probably the simplest to make.

Alaisa (or araisa) is the Samoan word for rice, and sua is what we call a soup or any very liquid-y dish. Sua alaisa is a  sweet, creamy, comforting rice treat that we often have for dessert or a hearty breakfast… or sometimes even dinner if it’s one of those days. 

Here’s how easy it is to make.

How We Do

Rinse a cup of short-grain white rice until the water runs clean, then to up with a litre or two of fresh water (depends on how thick you like your sua alaisa) and bring it to the boil.

Just before it starts to boil, add some fragrance. Samoans use lemon or lime leaves, but in our house, apparently, we also throw in kigamogi (bay leaves).

This was a tip my mother and cousin suggested, and it’s a keeper for me. I love the bit of herbal flavour the bay leaves add, especially how it plays off the sweetness of the dish.

Once the pot has boiled, turn the heat down and add in your coconut cream. Now, the kind of coconut cream you use makes a huge difference to the consistency of the sua alaisa.

Freshly grated and strained coconut flesh is obviously always the best choice, but if you have to use canned coconut cream, choose a brand like Kara, Fiafia, Solo’s Choice or Ayam.

From here, let the rice soup simmer for a while – mine took around 45 minutes. You’re just waiting for the rice grains to thicken up and get soft and for all the liquid to get creamy… and then you sweeten the pot to taste (my ‘taste’ needed about a cup and a half of raw sugar) and that’s it!

Time to enjoy your sua alaisa!

Sua alaisa: Sweet , creamy Samoan treat

Sua Alaisa

Sua alaisa means rice soup in Samoan, and this dish is a sweet, creamy treat that we usually have for breakfast or dessert.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine Samoan
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup short-grain, white rice
  • 2 litres water around 8 cups
  • 1 ½ cups coconut cream around 400mls, or one can
  • 1 ½ cups sugar or to taste
  • Lemon leaves to taste
  • Bay leaves to taste

Instructions
 

  • Rinse and drain the rice until the water runs clear.
  • Add to a pot with the fresh water, then heat to boil, stirring often so the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.
  • Just before the pot boils, add the lemon and bay leaves.
  • After it boils, turn the heat down and stir in the coconut cream. Let the rice soup simmer (still stirring often) until the rice grains have thickened up and softened.
  • Sweeten the sua alaisa to taste (I used around a cup and a half of raw sugar) and serve.

Video

Keyword alaisa, oceania, Pacific, rice, Samoan

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