Pacific Islands Review 2- LengaLenga

Solomon Island Food Review
Name: LengaLenga

LengaLenga is another local food that any Solomon Islander would have you taste to have an idea of what it means to be in the islands. For islanders, it is a meal made from cassava.

 To prepare this, the cassava is grated to pulp and then squeezed to remove its starch water. Its pulp is then mixed with fresh coconut cream. Depending on how rich one would have the lengalenga, about 2-4 coconuts would be grated and have its coconut cream squeezed from and used with the cassava. The mixture is poured onto banana leaves that have been heated prior and acts as wrapper which covers the cassava thoroughly. It is left to be motued (cooked) by the heat of the hot stones from the outdoor oven for a good 3hrs. 

The outcome is like a cassava cake base that can be served with just about anything. For vegetarians, having it with seasoned petu is great for the evening meal. Petu is edible mangrove beans scratched to fine layers and provide a substitute for the regular cabbage.

Not forgetting those who like fish or other seafood like prawns or crayfish and crabs, lengalenga can also be served to have with.

It's not a meal that can be normally found in Sydney but if attending any pacific cultural gathering with people from the Solomons, it sure has from time to time, been placed on the menu. 

- Melanie