Recipe — Heimata Hall’s Ipo Pain Perdu (Ipo French Toast), from Eat Pacific by Robert Oliver

Compiled by award-winning chef, judge and TV host Robert Oliver, Eat Pacific includes 139 zesty recipes from Fiji, Samoa, the Kingdom of Tonga, the Cook Islands, Vanuatu, Niue, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Tahiti, New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea, taken from the popular TV series Pacific Island Food Revolution, now in its third season. There's more than healthy, tasty, affordable food, however. This book has a powerful health and food-sovereignty message: local food cultures hold the key to better diets, economic sustainability and combatting diseases such as diabetes and obesity. Robert Oliver was raised in Fiji and has developed restaurants in the United States, 'farm to table' resorts in the Caribbean, and food programs in New York City. Here he shares the recipe Heimata Hall’s Ipo Pain Perdu (Ipo French Toast) for readers to make and enjoy. Recipes and images from Eat Pacific: The Pacific Island Food Revolution edited by Robert Oliver, published by Massey University Press, RRP: $60.00.

Ipo is a coconut bread made with coconut milk, coconut water, coconut shavings, tapioca flour, and sugar. It is a traditional Tahitian side dish, used more as a bread to be eaten with fish, pork, chicken fafa, poisson cru and many other local delicacies. Each archipelago in French Polynesia has its own style of cooking it. Here is Heimata’s version. Note: Day-old ipo bread is best for this recipe.

250 grams flour with yeast (or use plain flour mixed with 1 tablespoon dried instant yeast) 1 teaspoon baking powder 4 tablespoons sugar 3 tablespoons grated fresh coconut 325 millilitres coconut milk 3 eggs, beaten ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional) 4 tablespoons butter seasonal fruits, e.g. banana, papaya, starfruit, passionfruit (optional) honey mint leaves autera‘a nuts, toasted almonds or macadamia nuts (optional), to garnish

Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, grated coconut and 175 millilitres of the coconut milk in a large bowl and mix well. If your hands get too sticky dust them with flour.

Once the mixture forms a dough, tip it into a small baking pan. Place the pan in a steamer for 30 minutes or until cooked through. You may also bake it in an oven at 175°C for 45 minutes or until the dough is cooked through.

When cooked, remove from the oven and cool at room temperature. (You can wrap it in cling wrap and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.)

Put the beaten eggs and the remaining coconut milk in separate bowls. Add the vanilla (if using) to the coconut milk.

Preheat a frying pan over a medium heat and coat it with the butter. Cut the ipo into slices 1–1.5 centimetres thick. Dip the slices in the coconut milk, making sure they are well coated, then dip them in the egg mix.

Cook for about 3 minutes on each side or until the slices have a nice golden caramelisation. Repeat the process until all the slices are cooked.

Put the pan-fried ipo slices on a plate, and garnish with sliced seasonal fruits, honey, chopped nuts and mint.

HEIMATA’S TIPS: You can also garnish with a little fresh coconut cream. Use any type of sweetener instead of honey — maple syrup is good, as is coconut sugar.