Duruka

Ingredients

Duruka

• 20duruka shoots
• or 500 g asparagus, as a substitute
• water, for rinsing

Coconut cream

• 400 mlthick coconut cream, lolo
• 1onion, sliced
• 2garlic cloves, crushed
• 1chilli, chopped, optional
• 1 teaspoonsalt
• black pepper

Sometimes added

• 1tomato, chopped
• a squeeze of lime
• a little curry powder

To serve

• boiled cassava or dalo
• rice
• grilled fish

Directions

1. Peel away the outer leaf sheaths. Work down until you reach the pale head. Trim off the tough base of the stem. Rinse the shoots under cold water. Leave them whole if they are small.
2. Cut larger ones into shorter lengths. It is the thick cream pressed from grated coconut. Use the thick part from the top of the tin. Making fresh lolo is worth doing if you can.
3. Grate the flesh of a mature coconut. Add a little warm water to it. Squeeze it hard in a clean cloth. The first pressing is the thick cream.
4. Put the sliced onion in a pan. Add the crushed garlic and the chilli. Add about half the coconut cream. Warm it gently over a low heat. Never let coconut cream boil hard.
5. Add the prepared shoots to the pan. Turn them over in the coconut cream. Add the rest of the coconut cream. Season it with salt and black pepper. Cover the pan with a tight lid. Let it cook for about fifteen minutes. Judging when it is done takes a fork.
6. Take the lid off to reduce it if it is thin. Taste it and adjust the salt to suit. Add a squeeze of lime if you like. Serving it is done hot as a side dish.
7. Spoon the shoots and cream into a bowl. Serve boiled cassava or dalo alongside. It keeps two days refrigerated.

Technique

• Duruka is Saccharum edule, a relative of sugar cane grown for its unopened flower head rather than its stem, and once the flower opens it is no longer edible.
• The season lasts only a few weeks around April in the wet season, which is why roadside stalls sell it in bundles and Fijians look forward to its arrival.
• Lolo is the thick coconut cream from the first pressing of grated coconut, not the same as thin coconut milk.

Substitutions

• Asparagus is the usual substitute abroad, with a broadly similar texture and a milder flavour.
• Tinned coconut cream stands in for fresh lolo, using the thick part from the top of the tin.

Variations

• Some cooks add tomato or a little curry powder to the pan.
• A version cooked in a lovo, the Fijian earth oven, is made at feasts.
• Rourou, taro leaves in coconut cream, is cooked the same way.

History

Called Fijian asparagus, it appears only for a few weeks in the wet season around April, when roadside stalls sell it in bundles.

Frequently asked questions

What is Duruka?

Duruka is a salad & side from Fiji: unopened flower shoots of wild cane, steamed in coconut cream like asparagus. Called Fijian asparagus, it appears only for a few weeks in the wet season around April, when roadside stalls sell it in bundles.

How long does Duruka take to make?

Duruka takes 20 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Duruka?

Yes, within limits. Asparagus is the usual substitute abroad, with a broadly similar texture and a milder flavour. Tinned coconut cream stands in for fresh lolo, using the thick part from the top of the tin.

What is the most important thing to get right in Duruka?

Put the sliced onion in a pan. Add the crushed garlic and the chilli. Add about half the coconut cream. Warm it gently over a low heat. Never let coconut cream boil hard.