TROPICAL HEAT

1 YOU’LL CATCH ALL THE COCONUT FEELS

It sounds exotic and, let’s be honest, it feels exotic when you’re sitting on the beach taking in the impossibly azure ocean while sipping coconut water from a freshly cut coconut (young and green, not mature and hairy, much to my delight). But a tropical paradise offers many ways to enjoy this flavour and I was lucky enough to discover some incredible incarnations at an exclusive cooking class with chef Erryl Morel, who lectures at the Seychelles Tourism Academy in Victoria on Mahé island. He showed us how to make spicy tuna coconut curry served “family style” with saffron rice, for starters. And I, for one, will be making it again and again.

Equally delicious is the traditional island-style coconut rice spiked with cardamom which was often served with chopped herbs and cloves, as well, a local favourite that can be eaten as a sweet or savoury dish. The sweet version is a dessert made with cubed sweet potato simmered in coconut milk. Add cinnamon, sugar, cardamom and vanilla and cook until the sweet potato is soft and creamy.