Who loves Fai’ai elegi? Serrato Social Media Manager Leilani Momoiseā learns how to make a super simple but super delicious dish much loved by Samoans around the world - coconut baked fish or Fai'ai Eleni. Her father Pafelio gives her the ingredients & shows her the steps here. Try it out for to'ona'i!

We're celebrating the universal language of food! Our reporter Mariner Fagaiava-Muller teamed up with TVNZ's Seven Sharp reporter Te Rauhuringa Brown to taste-test this makua'i mouthwatering mea'ai.

Learn to make Sweet & Me's delicious Lamingtons in a few easy steps. Perfect with a hot cup of tea or cold glass of milk.  Recipe makes 16 squares -  Cake 2 x Eggs  1/2 cup of milk 2/3 cup Oil 1 Tsp Vanilla Essence 1 1/2 Cups of sugar 2 cups of flour 2 Tsp baking powder 2 Tsp baking soda 1 Tsp salt 1/2 cup hot water Chocolate Sauce 2 cups of Coconut Milk 1 cup of dark chocolate buttons 1/2 cup of Cocoa Dessicated coconut (to dip cakes in once covered in sauce) Recipe Preheat the oven to 160°C, grease 1 x square cake 6 inch cake tin. In a bowl add eggs, milk, oil, vanilla essence, sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Fold in sifted dry ingredients, once combined add hot water till incorporated. Pour batter into a cake tin and place in the oven for 40mins or till fully cooked. In a heavy pan, add coconut milk and bring to a boil. Take off the heat and add chocolate and cocoa, vigorously whisk till combined and season with salt. Then dip the cake squares into the chocolate sauce and roll around in the dessicated coconut.

Check out how Koko Samoa the drink is made from when the Koko is taken from the tree to when it's poured into a mug to drink in liquid form. Watch the instructions and follow along with the recipe and ingredients.

Disciple Pati enlists the help of her grandfather Fepulea'i Filo to show her how to make fa'alifu kalo or cooked taro with coconut cream.

It’s a 100% vegetarian version of our famous Kokoda or Oka. In this recipe we added a can of tuna (because you know we like our fish), however if you want a full vegetarian dish, do not add the tuna. Traditionally, the eggplant is usually cooked over open fire which gives it that nice smoky flavor and is the point of difference for this dish. This recipe serves 4 people, however to serve more mouths, just double or triple the ingredients and away you go. Oh and last thing serve with either a side of dalo, cassava, sweet potato, kumara or even potato. RECIPE:  1 x Eggplant 1 x can coconut milk 3 x firm tomatoes  1 x onion 1 x lemon 2 x cans of Tuna Chilli Salt and Pepper Coriander for Garnish (optional) Method Step 1 - Make Miti (coconut sauce) Shake the can well Open and add to a mixing bowl Dice onions and then add to mixing bowl Dice tomatoes and add that in too Give it a mix Season with salt and pepper Taste (add more salt and pepper if required) *Key with Miti ( or cooking with coconut milk/cream) is to have good amount salt because it helps bring out the flavor of the coconet.  Step 2 – Fry the Eggplant  Heat oil over medium heat Cut the Eggplant into thin slices Once oil is hot, add eggplant in a few at a time  Once cooked on one side, flip over and cook the other side Step 3 – Combine all ingredients Once all the Eggplant is cooked, add them to a flat baking dish, and using a fork shred it into bite sized slices Add Miti over the top

Saia Mafile'o teaches his grandson Malosi how to make a Tongan delicacy - Tongan Topai. Check out all the ingredients you'll need and try to cook it yourself by follow along with them here.

Saia Mafile'o shows his grandchildren Malosi and Talavou how to make a favourite dish with Tongans around the world - Lu Sipi and Lu Pulu. Check out all the ingredients you'll need and follow along with them in the video.

Sweet and Me Chef Bertrand Jang shows us his recipe for Panikeke Waicala which is a Fijian take on pancakes and usually eaten on Sundays. It's a very easy recipe which only needs 4 main ingredients - Flour, Water, Sugar & Salt. Panikeke Waicala Ingredients Flour – 2 Cups Salt – 1 Tsp Sugar – 1/3 Cup Water, cold 1 ½ Cups   Method Combine all dry ingredients into a bowl.  Make a well and gradually add cold water to avoid lumps.  Once water is added, vigorously beat the batter for about 2 minutes and let it seat for about 5 mins.  Add plain oil to your shallow frying pan and set on medium heat.  Add a spoonful of batter into hot oil, turn over once dark in colour.  Allow to brown on the other end before placing pancakes onto a towelled bowl.  Serve hot   

Fijian chef and baker Bertrand Jang shows us how to make Fijian Roti which you can pair with any curry dish. Ingredients:        Flour -2 Cups Salt - 1 Tsp Butter - 1Tsp Water, boiling hot - 1 cup Oil- 1/2 Cup   Method: In a deep bowl, add flour and salt and make a well.  Add the butter into the centre and pour in hot water.  Mix together till butter has melted.  With a spoon, combine, till forms a sticky dough.  Transfer onto clean surface area and knead till just combined.  With your hand, portion out even balls and place separately on bench, dust flour on all the balls and on the surface area. With an even rolling pin, roll out clean thin circular shapes, you want them big even to fit the frying pan of your size. On medium heat, allow the pan to come to temperature.  With a clean thin towel, dip the corner end into the ½ cup of oil and lightly spread the oil onto the hot pan.  Add the dough onto the pan.  When light air bubbles begin to form, flip the roti over.  Dip your cloth into the oil and firmly press onto the roti in a circular motion, allowing the oil to dampen the whole roti.  Once the air pockets begin to form on the second half, place the cooked roti onto a clean tea towel and cover. This keeps the roti warm and prevents it from drying.

Fijian chef Bertrand Jang shares his Fijian purini recipe with us. An oldie that he remembers his grandmother making for their family. Fijian Purini (for 6 inch cake mould) Ingredients Vakalolo Sauce ½ cup Brown sugar 2 cups Castor sugar 200ml Coconut milk 200ml Coconut cream 2 cups Flour 1 tsp Baking powder ½ tsp Baking soda 5g Ginger 1 tsp Orange, zest . Preheat oven to 160®c and grease a 6-inch cake mould.  You will also need a deep baking tray and a jug of boiling water. Caramelize sugar till smoky, add coconut milk and cream.  In a bowl sift dry ingredients and zest orange and ginger. Fold dry ingredients into vakalolo, mix till well combined. Pour into greased cake tin. Place in the centre of the baking dish and fill dish 1/3 to the height of the cake tin. Firmly cover with aluminium foil and steam bake for 1 hour or until cooked.

Valavala/Valawa (Fijian) or Fa’apapa (Samoan) is a cassava (tapioca) based island dessert that is common among the islands. Makes 12 . Ingredients  2 cups flour 800g grated cassava 1 cup grated coconut 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 1 cup brown sugar 2 cups coconut milk . Extras Banana leaves (you can buy frozen ones from Asian supermarkets) Foil Steps: Preheat oven to 180º  In a mixing bowl, add flour, cassava, coconut, baking powder, salt, sugar and 1 cup of coconut milk. Gently mix the ingredients Add 1 cup coconut milk and mix to form a wet sticky dough, making sure not to over mix.  Add 1 cup of the mixture to the banana leaves and foil and fold firmly. Bake for 20 minutes in each side. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. Can be served with vakalolo (Caramel) sauce For GF option use Coconut flour, by doing this you will need to add more coconut milk.

Get your sweet fix on with this delicious Fijian Cassava Cake recipe. Makes 1 x 8inch cake tin Ingredients  800g grated cassava 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 2 tbsp cornflour 1 cup grated coconut 1 cup water 2 eggs 1/2 cup coconut milk 100g melted butter 1 cup sugar 1 tbsp vanilla essence Extras 2 egg yolks 1/2 cup condensed milk 1/2 cup coconut cream Steps Preheat oven to 160º.  In a large bowl, add cassava, coconut, cornflour, salt and baking powder.  Set aside In a separate mixing bowl add coconut milk, eggs, sugar, water and vanilla essence. Lastly add melted butter. Whisk wet ingredients. The add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix all ingredients through. Grease 2 8-inch cake tins. Add mixture to cake tin  Bake for 40 mins.  Once cooked set out on bench and in separate mixing bowl add egg yolks, condensed milk and coconut cream, whisk well. Then pour over the baked cake while forking it to ensure the sauce soaks in.  Bake for an additional 10 mins **when blitzing, make sure to blitz little amounts of cassava at a time to prevent the cassava from being too lumpy**

Fijian chef Bertrand Jang, owner of the Sweet & Me cakery in Onehunga shares his recipe for Babakau (Fijian Fried Bread). Smother it with butter and jam - Set!   Serves 5 - 6 people  . Ingredients  500g flour  20g sugar 7g yeast 3g salt 20ml oil 350ml warm water  . Method In a bowl, add all ingredients and mix well until it forms a wet sticky dough  Do not add ANYMORE flour, this dough will come together after continuous kneading and rest  Transfer dough onto a clean floured surface and knead firmly for about 5 to 7 minutes Place dough back into bowl, cover with a tea towel and allow it to double in size Once doubled, transfer dough back onto clean floured surface and cut dough in half and roll out into half an inch in width  Cut into evenly sized squares so that your bread cooks evenly on the heat In a shallow frying pan, add oil (either canola or linseed) enough so you can shallow fry Bring temperature to medium heat before adding in dough Carefully place your squares into the pan and allow to brown evenly on one side before turning to cook the other side  Once cooked add to a bowl with a clean tea towel or paper napkin - this helps drain excess oil Serve hot. You can dust a mix of icing sugar and cinnamon on it or have it with butter and jam and nice big cup of tea.

Try this quick and easy recipe for banana loaf whipped up by Fijian chef Bertrand Jang, owner of the Sweet & Me cakery in Onehunga. This recipe makes 8 Ingredients  6 ripe bananas (the older they are the better they are) 2 eggs 1 1/4 cup sugar  2 tsp vanilla essence  3 cups sifted flour  2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp ground nutmeg Cinnamon  Pinch of salt 150g melted butter  . Steps: Preheat oven to 160º  Grease 1 mini loaf tray (should have 8 moulds) Mash bananas using a whisk Add sugar then mix Add eggs then mix Add half of the flour and using a spatula gently fold in the flour  Add remaining flour, salt, baking soda, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, few sprinkles of cinnamon then gently fold through all ingredients  Lastly add melted butter and mix it in. Divide batter into moulds and bake for 18 minutes. Then enjoy with a slab of butter or some whipped cream.

Elisabeth from Amoa Resort in Savai'i shows us her delicious recipe for Esi or Papaya fruit salad. If you wanted to put Savai'i on a plate it'd look a bit like this with fresh tropical fruits and organic flavours growing on the big island of Samoa. Keep it Fresh and Keep it Local! 

Nastassia Wolfgramm & Lavinia Uhila show us how to make smooth, velvety, naughty, coco caramel Faikakai Topai - A Tongan Delicacy - Coconut Dumplings smothered in Coconut Caramel Sauce.

Cook Islands Doughnuts At every Cook Islands function there are staple foods from the minus (Cook Islands potato salad) to the ika mata (raw fish) but there is one food item that you can't go past - the doughnut! Follow along with Mama Love with this healthier, wholemeal infused recipe.   RECIPE:  This recipe makes about 20 doughnuts  3x Cups Flour  1x Cup Wholemeal Flour  Pinch of Salt  4x Tablespoon Sugar  2 1/2x Cups of Warm Milk  4x Tablespooon Fresh Cream  1x Tablespoon Oil  2x Tablespoon Yeast  1x Tablespoon Vanilla Essence  4x Eggs  Frying oil for cooking  . Follow along with the instructions in the video 

Get some fresh fish goodness in your life with this awesum Kuki Airani take on Ika Mata! Our girl Tatryana breaks down how to put the tang and taste into raw fish with these simple tips n trix! INGREDIENTS  * 500g filletted Kahawai  * 1/2 small onion  * 2 Fresh lemons or limes  * 400ml Fresh or canned coconut cream  * 1 tomato  * 1/2 Cucumber  * 1 1/2 Cup Water  * Salt  RECIPE  Dice up your fish, put in a bowl of water with salt to soak and place in the fridge. Dice up some cucumbers and tomato to make it more delicious. Drain the salted water from the fish and add lemon juice. Let the fish soak in the lemon juice for a few minutes and then drain. Add in diced cucumbers, tomato and spring onion and mix through with the fish. Add coconut milk - do not add any water, coconut cream only.

Fijian chef Bertrand Jang shares why he's 'Fresh out da Box' with his cake making skills and the island flavours he uses in his recipes. Stop in at Sweet & Me bakery next time you're in Onehunga at 235 Church Street. Or you can order online here 

Pani Popo or Coconut buns are a popular treat with all Samoan families. Delicious, sweet, buns smothered in yummy coconut cream!   Destiny Momoisea shows us how to make her family's recipe with some guidance from her Mum Taulagi ;)  PANI INGREDIENTS:  1/4 Cup Warm water  2 teaspoons Edmonds active yeast  2 Cups High Grade Flour  1 1/2 Cups Self Raising Flour  1 teaspoon salt  1 tablespoon sugar  3/4 cup warm malk  3 tablespoons melted butter  . COCONUT CREAM INGREDIENTS: 1/2 can (200ml) canned or fresh coconut milk 1/2 can (200ml) water  1/2 cup (100g) sugar 

These are the trials and tribulations of making this age old feast of traditional food happen! Wild goat from Atiu, Oyster meat from Manihiki - check out this celebration of the best of Pacific ingredients on a plate!!

Rosita at Va-I-Moana Resort in Beautiful Samoa shows us how to make 'Koko Esi' which is a breakfast dish made from Koko Samoa and Pawpaw, Savai'i style.

Hanalei & her Aunty Mele share their recipe for Pineapple Pagikeke Samoan style. Now you don't have to leave your house to buy them you can make them from the comfort of your own home.

Chloe Faaiuaso tells us about 'Whipped' Apia, Samoa's first gelato store! They're the only ice cream / gelato store that serves dairy free options for people in Samoa..

Pisupo (Corned Beef) the famous staple food of the Pacific that can be made so many different ways!   No matter what you put in your falai - make sure you drain the fat off first, and try adding some fresh veggies to add some goodness into your pisupo eating pleasure. Fun fact: Pisupo is a transliteration of 'pea soup' because these were the first types of canned food that were brought to Samoa by the early sailors and traders. When corned beef came along in a can and became the most popularly eaten canned food-the generic name for tins of food 'Pisupo' still stuck.

Hanalei & her Aunty Mele share their recipe for Pai Fala - Half Moon Pineapple Pie. This delicious pie is a favourite for dessert and even for morning/afternoon tea.

Check out Doe Donuts, and their fresh new twist on Poly influenced treats!  You can order Doe Donuts online here  or Crumb Cafe in Grey Lynn also stocks a supply of them .... but you better be quick!  They sell out fast! 

Armed with a massive knife, some Island 'know how' and his Grandmothers recipe, Proud Niuean Shimpal Lelisi attempts to recreate his favourite Island dish Takihi, from scratch. But there ain‘t no Pak ‘n’ Cave on the Rock - so using a dash of Bear Grylls' survival skills and a pinch of Jamie Oliver’s flare - Shimpal scours the Island, digs in the Taro Fields, ignites the Umu and cracks the Niu, all in a back breaking effort to recreate the taste of his childhood. So what is Takihi? Well it’s not quite a savoury dish or a desert either- it floats in the space reserved for food that can’t be defined- it just is.  Join Shim on his journey and then have your own- download the recipe PDF and sample this coconutty, fruity, starchy goodness for yourself. Sweat band optional!   SUGGESTED LINKS Brush up on your Niuean Language skills here Learn more about the Rock on the ‘Know your roots’ virtual timeline  

Kalais-Jade together with her husband Ivan run Nourish Cafe in Samoa. They have a focus on using local and organically certified produce, sold straight from their farmers who work together with Women in Business Development. She teaches us how to make a delicious and refreshing Sasalapa (Sour Sop) Smoothie. 

Chef Otila Ah Fook shows us how to make a delicious Samoan dish - Taufolo - made of mashed breadfruit & coconut cream.

Tahitian Personal Trainer Christian shows maori actor Te Kohe how to make this delicious Tahitian dish made with Taro, Chicken, ginger, carrots, onion & honey! 

Aunty Rupina helps Shimpal make a special, Niuean traditional dish - Pitako Pia (Coconut Bread made from Coconut & Pia aka arrowroot)

Thaddeus Kaiou originally from the Hokianga  is half Mangaian & now living in Rarotonga. He shows us how he fuses the maori hangi with the island umu to create what he calls an 'um-hang' with delicious results! 

Richard shows netball star Cat Tuivaiti how to make Ota Ika (Raw Fish) Tongan style! 

Our friends at Oholei Beach Resort in the Kingdom of Tonga show us how they cook 'Puaka Tunu' or Pork/Pig on a spit.

Tahitian local Maheata shows TK how to make a yummy Tahitian dessert made out of papaya (pawpaw) and coconut meat - Papaya Po'e

Chef John from Chef John Tours in Samoa shows us how to make Ulu (Breadfruit) Hash Browns! 

Peta and the boys give us a quick rundown on how to make Fish & Chips the Savai'ian Way! 

Learn how to cook delicious char grilled lobster with fresh coconut cream sauce & our chef Otila gives you tips on how to know you've picked a nice fresh one!  . INGREDIENTS  Lobster 1 cup of coconut oil I bowl of Coconut grated teaspoon sugar teaspoon salt Local organic tomatoes Dip fried grapefruits . INSTRUCTIONS Cut the lobster in half. Strain the coconut cream from the grated coconut into a bowl. Pour cup of coconut oil into the BBQ then place the lobster onto it,  Leave it for 2minutes on each sides. Now for the sauce pour coconut cream into frying pan add a pinch of sugar and stir until it’s ready to serve. Chop up organic tomatoes into a bowl add a pinch of salt and ¼ cup of coconut oil, now put it onto the BBQ and stir for a while. Then serve On wooden board/plate, place lobster on dip fried Grapefruits then pour cooked coconut sauce on top of it.