Fiji's Indian-diaspora barbecue tradition marinates chicken and lamb in garam masala, soy sauce, garlic and ginger before grilling it at roadside stands and the island's ubiquitous fundraiser BBQ stalls, where it is boxed with cassava, roti or chop suey as a 'BBQ pack'. Skewered versions of the same masala meat appear at resort grills, carrying South Asian kebab seasoning into a Pacific barbecue format.
Also known as: Fiji BBQ, Indo-Fijian barbecue, masala BBQ chicken, fundraiser BBQ pack
Watch it made
Ingredients
- 400 g chicken thigh, 3 cm cubes
- 400 g lamb shoulder, 3 cm cubes
- 2 tbsp garam masala
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp grated ginger and 4 crushed garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- roti or cassava, to serve
- cucumber-tomato salad with lemon
How to make it
- 1
Mix the garam masala, soy, ginger, garlic, oil, chili and salt into the Indo-Fijian double marinade and coat both meats 4 hours.
- 2
Thread chicken and lamb on separate skewers since they finish at different moments.
- 3
Barbecue over medium-hot coals, lamb 12 minutes and chicken 10, turning when the masala crust releases freely from the grill.
- 4
Watch the soy-masala coat: it should darken to mahogany in the last few minutes, not before.
- 5
Serve BBQ-pack style, heaped together with warm roti or boiled cassava and the lemony salad.
Pro tip: Garam masala plus soy is the Fijian diaspora handshake — but soy scorches, so keep a cooler zone and finish the skewers there once they take color.
