Kiribati Squash Coconut Soup

Disclaimer: This post contains a recipe highlighting a different country or culture. While I strive for authenticity,

I sometimes need to make adjustments to recipes due to ingredient availability.  

It’s time for Eat the World and we’re heading to Kiribati (pronounced “Kiri-bas”), a collection of island atolls in Oceania in the Pacific Ocean.

I started researching recipes from Kiribati and there was not a lot and I doubted the authenticity of what I did find.

I looked on amazon for a cookbook but they were spendier than I’d hoped and when I was able to look at the table of contents, it looked mostly like fish (which I don’t eat).

So then I decided to try the library, on the off chance there was a cookbook there.  There wasn’t, but there was a memoir of someone who lived on Kiribati, so I decided to take a chance and hope some food was mentioned in the book.

Here’s my review:

The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific by J. Maarten Troost
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was trying to learn more about Kiribati and this was the book about Kiribati my local library actually had.

Since the author lived on Kiribati for 2 years, this was eye opening. Humorous, yes, but also so so sad that people actually live in the conditions described in the book.

Also, there was nothing much about sex lives or cannibals...unless he was referring to the feral dogs, I don't really know.

Overall, this is an interesting book for people interested in travel memoirs or in learning a little more about Kiribati (though I would use it in addition to other sources for a full picture of the country)

View all my reviews

While the book didn’t have a ton food-wise, it did give me a better sense of the islands and a background to determine if a recipe was more or less authentic.

As an atoll with little in the way of natural resources, this was a very challenging month.  Kiribati pretty much has fish (which, according to the book, had a strong chance of being infected with parasites), and coconut.  Neither of which I like.

Canned food (imported from Australia and possibly super expired (book fact)) was also a possibility.  Additional research mentioned squash/pumpkin which surprised me, given the lack of soil for growing on Kiribati.  However, in the book (which I think takes place in the late 1990s, but it’s never totally clear), there was mention of an attempt to grow gardens on Kiribati, so maybe that was successful…or maybe squash is imported, hard to say.

In the book, there are also several references to wild pigs.  So when I found a pumpkin and coconut soup, I decided to bite the bullet and use coconut milk, but add pork sausage since I figured wild pigs might be able to be a protein source.

I ended up using squash instead of pumpkin because I wanted to roast a full pumpkin/squash (rather than using canned) and pie pumpkins aren’t in season yet.  Sadly, squash isn’t quite there yet either.  I wanted to use one from my garden, but it wasn’t ready so I bought one and the flesh was rather pale and bland, which is why the soup is so light.  The coconut milk totally took over.

You can probably guess where this is going.  With coconut being the predominant flavor, this was not a hit in my household.

However, with a ripe squash and a love of coconut, this could be a winner for the right person!

Eat the World

Kiribati

Check out all the wonderful Kiribati dishes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Find out how to join Eat the World here and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us! 

• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Roasted Lobster Tails with Curry Dipping Sauce 
• Culinary Cam: Ika Mata 
• Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Kiribati Squash Coconut Soup 
• Sneha’s Recipe: Keto Pumpkin Coconut Soup For One 
• Pandemonium Noshery: Te Bua Toro Ni Baukin - Kiribati Cabbage Casserole

Recipe Note: 

-On Kiribati, the squash used would most likely be a kabocha or calabash squash, both of which are similar to pumpkin.  In this recipe, any orange-fleshed squash can be used.

-The original recipe did not call for pork, but I was serving this as a main dish and wanted to add protein.  Since I read that wild pigs are prevalent in Kiribati, I decided ground pork would make a good addition.

Kiribati Squash & Coconut Soup

Adapted from International Cuisine

1 (2 pound) squash (see note)

1 pound Italian sausage (optional, see note)

1-inch knob fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 (15 ounce) can coconut milk

1 ¾ cups water or ham broth

Salt & pepper

Fresh chives, minced

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Cut the squash in half and remove seeds.  Place the squash on a rimmed baking sheet, cut side down.  Add 2 cups water to the pan.  

Roast for 30 minutes or until the squash is easily pierced with a fork.  Set aside to cool slightly.

Place the sausage in a soup pot over medium heat.  Cook until browned, breaking up into small pieces as it cooks.  Add the ginger and cook for another minute.

Scoop the flesh out of the roasted squash and add to the soup pot along with the coconut milk and broth.  Stir to combine.  Season with salt and pepper, heat through and serve.

Serves 4

Amy Eats the World in...

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2. Ireland: Cheesy Potato Soup with Irish Ale
   
3. Thailand: Chicken Satay
   
4. Kenya: Crunchy N’Dizi (Peanut Crusted Bananas)
   
5. Sweden: Rodbetssallad med Getost (Grated Beet Salad with Goat Cheese)
6. New Zealand: Kiwi Burger 
7. France: Fougasse (Provencal Flatbread)
8. Argentina: Chimichurri Sauce
   
9. Mexico (Halloween Special): Pan de Muerto (Day of the Dead Bread)
10. India: Spiced Golden Milk 
11. Poland: Chrusciki (Angel Wing Cookies)
12. Ethiopia: Buticha (Hummus)
13. England: Wizarding World of Harry Potter Leaky Cauldron-Style Mini Cottage Pie 
    
14. Georgia: Lobiani (Bean-Stuffed Bread)
15. Mexico: Crispy Pork Carnitas
    
16. Cambodia: Loc Lac (Shredded Beef with Lime)
17. Israel: Chicken Albondigas (Chicken Meatballs)
18. Finland: Sima (Lemonade) 
19. Puerto Rico: Arroz con Tocino  (Rice with Bacon)
20. Egypt: Ghorayebah Cookies
    
21. Ukraine: Scuffles (Rohalyky) Cinnamon Crescent Rolls
    
22. Portugal: Bitoque (Steak & Eggs) 
23. Germany (Christmas Special): Lebkuchenherzen (German "Gingerbread" Cookies) 
24. Trinidad & Tobago: Trini Macaroni Pie 
25. Iraq: T'bit (Slow Cooked Chicken & Brown Rice) 
26. Fiji: Fijian Creamy Lentil Soup (Dhal) 
27. Senegal: Cafe Touba (Senegalese Spiced Coffee) 
28. Colombia: Cañón de Cerdo (Colombia-Style Pork Loin Roast) 
29. Soul Food (United States): Oven-Baked Ribs with Cola BBQ Sauce 
30. Bangladesh: Shemai (Sweet Vermicelli Pudding) 
31. The Netherlands: Dutch Farmer’s Cheese Soup (Boerenkaas Soep) 
32. Laos: Khao Piak Sen (Lao Chicken Noodle Soup) 
33. Jamaica: Chicken &  Pumpkin Soup 
34. Vietnam: Vietnamese Chicken Porridge (Chao Ga) 
35. Sudan: Red Lentil Soup (Sudanese Addas) 
36. Luxembourg: Bouchée à la Reine (Vol-au-Vent)
    
37. Uruguay: Pasta Caruso
38. China: Homemade Fortune Cookies
39. Lesotho: Borotho Bread
40. Scotland: Tattie Scones
41. Native American Tribes of North America: Wild Rice, Squash, & Corn Soup
42. Guyana: Butterflaps
43. Greece: Cabbage Roll Rice Bowls
44. Réunion Island: Rougail Z'Andouille
45. Japan: Yoshinoya Beef Bowl (Gyudon)
46. Australia: Fairy Bread
47. Ecuador: Lentil Soup with Rice (Arroz con Menestra de Lentejas)
48. Slovakia: Garlic & Potato Soup (Cesnaková Polievka)
49. Turkey: Simit Bread
50. Dominican Republic: Taco Shepherd’s Pie (Pastelón de Papa)
51. Libya: Macroona Imbakbaka (Libyan Minestrone)
52. Malta: Brodu Tat-Tigiega (Maltese Chicken Soup)
53. Wales: Cawl Cennin (Welsh-Style Leek & Potato Soup)
54. Morocco: Kefta Tagine with Eggs in Tomato Sauce
55. Bermuda: Bermuda Triangle Cocktail
56. Philipines: Pork Siomai
57. Chile: Chilean Beef & Corn Shepherd's Pie (Pastel de Choclo)
58. Slovenia: Slovenian Flatbread (Belokranjska Pogača)
59. Lebanon: Ka’ak (Lebanese Purse Bread)
60. Congo: Moambe Chicken (Congo Poulet Moambe)
61. Guatamala: Fiambre (Guatemalan Salad)
62. Austria: Viennese Kaiser Rolls
63. French Polynesia: Vanilla Bean Lemonade
64. Seychelles: Creole Rice
65. Switzerland: Bündner Gerstensuppe (Swiss Barley Soup)
66. Brazil: Brigadeiro (Brazilian Fudge Balls)
67. Madagascar: Hen`omby Ritra (Malagasy Simmered Beef)
68. Spain: Tortilla Española (Potato Omelette)
69. Afghanistan: Aush (Afghan Noodle Soup)
70. Indonesia: Nasi Goreng with Chicken
71. Denmark: Frikadeller (Danish Meatballs)
72. Oman: Omani Bread (Khubz Ragag)
73. Costa Rica: Costa Rican Garbanzo Bean and Chicken Soup
74. Palestine: Whole Chickpea Hummus (Musabaha)
75. Zimbabwe: Beef Hifiridzi (Beef Short Ribs with Greens)
76. Kiribati: Kiribati Squash Coconut Soup