Fiji's Indian-diaspora barbecue tradition marinates chicken and lamb in ginger, garlic, soy sauce and chilli before grilling it at roadside stands and the island's ubiquitous fundraiser BBQ stalls, where it is sold as barbecue plates with cassava, roti or chop suey. Skewered versions of the same marinated meat appear at resort grills.
Also known as Fiji BBQ, Indo-Fijian barbecue.
Reference video
Ingredients
- 400 g chicken thigh, 3 cm cubes
- 400 g lamb shoulder, 3 cm cubes
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 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 turmeric, 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 crust releases freely from the grill.
- 4
Watch the soy coat: it should darken to mahogany in the last few minutes, not before.
- 5
Serve as a barbecue plate, heaped together with warm roti or boiled cassava and the lemony salad.
Pro tip: Soy scorches, so keep a cooler zone and finish the skewers there once they take color.
Where Fijian BBQ pack skewers come from
The fusion is unmistakably local: the soy sauce comes from Fiji's Chinese-Fijian influence and the cassava from the indigenous iTaukei diet.
How Fijian BBQ pack skewers are cooked
Soy sauce alongside ginger, garlic and chilli is the fusion point and it works better than it sounds: soy provides salt and glutamate that a traditional Indian marinade gets from other sources, and it browns aggressively on the grill. The trade-off is that it burns, so the fire must stay moderate.
The takeaway format shapes the cooking. Everything is grilled to be boxed and eaten twenty minutes later, so the meat is cooked slightly less aggressively than it would be for immediate eating and it is kept in larger pieces that hold heat and moisture.
Ingredients and shopping
Chicken thigh or lamb in generous pieces. Turmeric, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, chilli, and often a little sugar or honey. Marinate for several hours or overnight.
Cassava, boiled, is the standard starch on a Fijian barbecue plate, alongside roti and sometimes chop suey noodles. A chilli sauce or a fresh chilli-and-lime relish on the side. Bamboo skewers, soaked, for the skewered version.
How Fijian BBQ pack skewers are served
In a takeaway box with cassava, roti and sometimes chop suey, from a fundraiser stall or a roadside stand. Chilli sauce on the side. Fundraiser BBQs are a genuine Fijian institution — church, school and village — and these plates are what they sell.
Common mistakes
A hot fire
Soy sauce burns quickly, as does any sugar or honey in the marinade. Moderate heat and turning.
Small pieces for a takeaway box
The box is eaten later. Larger pieces hold heat and moisture through the wait.
Over-salting
Soy sauce already supplies a great deal of salt. Season the rest of the marinade accordingly.
Skipping the cassava
It is the local starch and what makes the plate Fijian rather than generically Indian.
Fijian BBQ pack skewers: questions and answers
How is it sold?
As barbecue plates or takeaway boxes of grilled marinated meat with cassava, roti and sometimes chop suey, at roadside stands, event stalls and fundraisers.
Why soy sauce in an Indian marinade?
Fiji's Chinese-Fijian influence. Combined with ginger, garlic and chilli it gives a fusion that is specifically Fijian rather than South Asian.
What meat is used?
Chicken thigh or lamb, in generous pieces so they hold heat and moisture in a takeaway box.
Why is the fire kept moderate?
Soy sauce and any added sugar burn quickly. Moderate heat with frequent turning prevents it.
Sources and further reading
- Fiji Style Lamb & Chicken Barbecue — That Fiji Taste
- Top 20 Most Popular Foods in Fiji — Chef's Pencil
- Popular BBQ a sellout — The Fiji Times
