In this episode of Kriol Kitchen, Helani Doolah gives us an insight into the delicious cooking from the Torres Strait.
Drawing back to her grandmother and other family members, Helani will show and teach us how to make some staple dishes that are made every day in the TSI (Torres Strait Islander) community.
Helani tells us she does not cook much but she could have fooled us: her version of Sop Sop (a mixture of root vegetables, banana, and coconut milk) is to die for, as well as her marinated fried fish with fried battered banana and her Sabee Domboi (rolled flour cooked in coconut milk): Yum!
Preparation
Cooking
Skill level
Ingredients
Sop sop
- Banana leaves
- 1 Brown onion (sliced)
- 1 small bowl of taro (diced)
- 1 small bowl of montong (diced)
- 1 small bowl of Sweet potato (diced)
- 1 small bowl of Pumpkin (diced)
- 1 small bowl of Yams (diced)
- 1 can of Coconut milk
- 2 Bananas (sliced)
- 1-2 pinches of Salt
Sabee domboi
- 2 cups Plain flour
- Water
- 2 cans Coconut milk
Marinated fried fish
- 2 fillets of fish (of your choosing)
- 2 tbsps. Soya Sauce
- 2 tbsps. Seafood Chilli Sauce
- 1 tbsp. Brown sugar
- 3-4 cloves Garlic
- Sunflower oil
- Plain Flour
Battered banana
- Plain flour
- Water
- Salt
- Banana
Cook's notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
Instructions
To make the sop sop, sabee domboi, place a medium sized sauce pot onto a medium heat.
Then in a bowl add flour and water and mix until it becomes dough like. Remove from the bowl; sprinkle flour onto a clean bench surface, begin to knead the dough for a few minutes or until you have reached right texture. (Add flour when needed to stop dough from stick to bench and hands).
Flatten the dough until it is approximately 1cm in height.
Grabbing a knife, you want to slice dough into stripes about 5cm in width roughly.
Now grab the sliced of dough and begin to pull apart into smaller piece and add to the pot of boiling coconut milk. Repeat step until all dough pieces are in the pot of milk; stir and allow to cook for a few minutes (the milk should be absorbed into the cooked dough).
The dish is complete! Serve with rice or damper.
To make the marinated fried fish with battered banana, in a medium sized bowl, add the soya sauce, the seafood chilli sauce and the brown sugar.
Then add in the chopped garlic and mix the marinade well. Place oil into the frying pan on a medium heat. Place the pieces of chopped fish into the bowl of marinade and cover; allowing to coat fish. On a plate place flour; then grabbing the marinated fish roll each piece in the flour. Then add the fish to the now hot frying pan and allow to cook for approximately 10 minutes.
Repeat this process until all piece of fish are cooked. Once all fish are complete leave the frying pan on the heat.
The bananas will be cooked in the same oil. In a mall bowl add plain flour, water and a pinch of salt; mix well, forming a batter.
Slice the bananas into piece; then roll the banana pieces into the batter and add to frying pan.
Cook until golden brown.
The dish is complete. Serve with rice or damper.
