Recipes | I've Been Cooking

Lolo Cassava

Lolo Cassava is a Fijian-inspired dish of tender cassava simmered in rich coconut milk and cream with aromatics, wrapped in banana leaf for a fragrant finish. Creamy, comforting, and naturally gluten-free and vegan.

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands$$

Niue Coconut Fish

A bright, island-style citrus-cured fish bathed in silky coconut cream with crunchy vegetables and chili heat—cool, refreshing, and deeply aromatic.

🇳🇺 Niue$$

Solwara Sipsup

Solwara Sipsup is a fragrant Papua New Guinean coconut seafood soup brimming with fish, prawns, and mussels, brightened with lime, lemongrass, and ginger. Root vegetables like sweet potato and taro make it hearty, while bird’s eye chili adds gentle heat.

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea$$$

Cocada Amarela

Cocada Amarela is a rich, glossy coconut-and-egg-yolk confection from the Lusophone world, scented with cinnamon, lemon peel, and vanilla. It’s a tender, fudge-like dessert with pronounced coconut flavor and a golden hue.

🇦🇴 Angola$

Keke Lolo

Keke Lolo is an island-style coconut cake/quick bread enriched with coconut milk and grated coconut, warmly spiced and dotted with raisins. A hint of lime zest and bay leaf–infused liquid add fragrant depth for a moist, tender crumb.

🇹🇴 Tonga$$

Surinamese Sesame Coconut Squares

Chewy-crisp Surinamese sesame coconut squares infused with fresh ginger, vanilla, and a hint of lime zest. A fragrant, toasty confection that balances nutty sesame with tropical coconut and bright citrus. Perfect for gifting, tea time, or an after-dinner sweet.

🇸🇷 Suriname$

Sai Bondibaiy

Sai Bondibaiy is a Maldivian sweet sticky rice cooked gently in coconut milk with cardamom and pandan, enriched with ghee, raisins, and cashews, and finished with a touch of rose water.

🇲🇻 Maldives$$

Huni Hakuru Folhi

A traditional Maldivian leaf-wrapped sweet made with rice flour, grated coconut, and huni hakuru (coconut treacle), scented with cardamom and pandan, then steamed or griddled in banana leaves.

🇲🇻 Maldives$$

Mkate wa Sinia Mahorais

Mkate wa Sinia Mahorais is a fragrant, cardamom-scented, yeast-leavened coconut rice cake from the Comoros/Mayotte and Swahili coast. Lightly sweet, tender, and enriched with ghee and sesame, it’s perfect with tea or as a festive dessert.

🇾🇹 Mayotte$$

Mont Lone Yay Baw

Mont Lone Yay Baw is a classic Myanmar Thingyan (Water Festival) dessert of tender glutinous rice balls with a jaggery center, boiled until they float, then coated in fresh coconut and sesame. Often scented with pandan and finished with a splash of creamy coconut milk, it’s chewy, fragrant, and gently sweet.

🇲🇲 Myanmar$$

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