Spiced Sweet Potato Banana Salad: A Taste of Fiji

This unusual salad is a fantastic flavour bomb: big chunks of sweet potato and banana in a creamy curry dressing that's fresh with the tang of lemon juice! It makes for a deliciously unique side dish for grilled or roasted meat or fish. Add a taste of the South Pacific to your next meal. (Skip to recipe.)

This month for our 'Eat the World' recipe challenge we are headed to the tropical island of Fiji. This archipelago in the South Pacific consists of 330 islands and over 500 islets, with miles of stunningly beautiful coastline. Coral reefs and clear lagoons, rocky coast, mangrove swamps, and sandy beaches, heavily forested volcanic mountains, and coastal plains make up its varied island topography. Sugarcane and tourism are its two major economic sources. Fiji's population consists of a mixture of native Fijians, Polynesians, Europeans, Chinese, and about 40% people of Indian descent, brought to the islands by the British colonials to work as indentured slaves in the sugarcane industry during the 19th century. This accounts for a strong Indian influence in the cooking of Fiji.

Delicious curries, dhal, and roti are to be found all over the islands. While these dishes are undeniably Indian in origin, they make use of the abundant island produce and seafood, sometimes more subtle in their spicing and flavouring, and lighter in consistency than mainland Indian dishes.

This Spiced Sweet Potato and Banana Salad is a good example of the beautiful Indian influence on the fresh local ingredients of Fiji. Large chunks of firm, tender, cooked sweet potato are combined with fresh banana pieces, all dressed in a tangy lemony mayonnaise gently spiced with curry. Simplicity, with a total wow factor in flavour. This salad was an absolute hit with Raymond (principal banana-eater in our household) and I know I'll be making it more often in the future. It is a memorable side dish to be served alongside a smoky piece of grilled fish or chicken, or pan-fried pork chops.

Let the springtime grilling season begin (very soon, we hope)!

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Kitchen Frau Notes: Use a mild to medium-spiced curry powder or garam masala for this salad. You want just a nice suggestion of warmth in the back of your throat.

Bananas should be ripe, but still firm, so they don't get mushy as you toss the salad.

Fijian Spiced Sweet Potato & Banana Salad

adapted from 'Taste of the Pacific' by Susan Parkinson, Peggy Stacy and Adrian Mattinson

• 1 lb (450gms) sweet potato (1 medium-large one)
• 4 large bananas, just ripe, with few-to-no brown spots
• ¼ cup (60ml) lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
• 2 tablespoons oil (I like avocado oil)
• 2 teaspoons curry powder (or garam masala)
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
• ½ cup (120ml) mayonnaise
• 2 green onions, finely sliced
• ¼ cup (60ml) chopped cilantro or parsley

Cut the sweet potato into 1-inch (2.5cm) cubes (leave the peel on). Put them into a small saucepan with a little bit of water and cook  them until they are just fork tender but still firm (they get mushy quickly), about 10 minutes. Drain them and allow them to cool. If you spread the cubes in a single layer on a plate, they will cool quickly.

Cut the banana into ¾-inch (2cm) thick slices into a bowl, toss them gently with the lemon juice to keep them from browning.

In a small saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the curry powder and crushed garlic and cook, stirring often until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Don't let the garlic brown. Scrape the spiced oil into a small bowl and allow it to cool. Stir in the mayonnaise.

Add the cooled sweet potato chunks to the bananas and lemon juice. Add the sliced green onion and cilantro or parsley.

Top with the mayonnaise dressing and gently toss the salad with a silicone spatula, trying to keep the sweet potato and banana pieces intact, until the lemon juice and mayonnaise have become smoothly incorporated. Sprinkle with a bit more chopped herb.

Serves 4 to 6.

Guten Appetit!

Check out all the wonderful Fijian dishes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Click here to find out how to join and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us!

Palatable Pastime: Pawpaw Curry with Lolo
Making Miracles: Lolo Buns
Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Fijian Food for a Crowd: Curry, Pulao, and Cassava Cake
Dinner By Dennis: Palusami
Sneha’s Recipe: No Oil Or Butter Fijian Coconut Bread
CulturEatz: Kokoda, a Fijian Coconut Milk Ceviche
Pandemonium Noshery: Fijian Banana Cake with Dates and Coconut
Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Fijian Creamy Lentil Soup (Dhal)
Kitchen Frau: Spiced Sweet Potato and Banana Salad
A Day in the Life on the Farm: Kokoda

 

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Check out my past ‘Eat the World’ Recipe Challenge posts:

• • Argentina: Red Chimichurri Sauce
  • Cambodia: Noum Kong (Cambodian Rice Flour Doughnuts)
  • Egypt: Fava Beans and Feta
  • England: Gluten Free Fish and Chips and Mushy Peas
  • Ethiopia: Four Ethiopian Recipes for a Fantastic Feast
  • Finland: Lohikeitto (Creamy Salmon, Potato, and Dill Soup)
  • France: Axoa d’Espelette (A Simple Stew from the Basque Country)
  • Georgia: Charkhlis Chogi (Beets with Sour Cherry Sauce)
  • India: Kerala Upma (Fluffy, Kerala Style Breakfast Upma Recipe)
  • Iraq: Tepsi Baytinijan (Eggplant Casserole)
  • Ireland: Dublin Coddle (A tasty Sausage and Potato Stew)
  • Israel: Cucumber, Feta, and Watermelon Salad
  • Kenya: Maharagwe with Ugali (Red Beans with Cornmeal Slice)
  • Mexico: Cochinita Pibil Tacos (Pit Barbecued Pig Made in Your Oven)
  • New Zealand: Classic Pavlova
  • Poland: Polish Honey Cake
  • Portugal: Tuna and Sardine Pâtés
  • Puerto Rico: Piña Colada Cocktail
  • Sweden: Swedish Meatballs with Cream Gravy
  • Switzerland (Christmas): Basler Leckerli Cookies
  • Thailand: Shrimp Laksa (Khung)
  • Trinidad & Tobago: Peanut Butter Prunes
  • Ukraine: Buckwheat Kasha with Beef