It is time to enjoy some great Samoan food that you will be able to prepare wherever you are in the world.

This is both healthy and delicious. In Samoa, South Pacific the OKA is usually made by every family for the Sunday feast. It is made in the following way:

* Cut the raw tuna in small thumb nail size pieces and put in a bowl.
* Cut cucumber, tomatoes and onion into very fine pieces and add it to the bowl.
* Add fresh coconut cream (or from can) sauce together with some lemon juice.
* Add salt and pepper and some chili sauce if you like it hot.

Mix it all together and serve in small cups or bowls.
Leave it in the fridge for some time if you prefer it cold.

For More Healthy Cooking Click Here!

Mats Loefkvist   http://www.samoa-experience.com

It doesn’t smell good and it doesn’t taste good but very few natural products can beat it in curing your health problems, building up your immune system and boost your energy level.

1000s of years in Polynesia

Nonu (or Noni) is an evergreen shrub or bush that can grow to a height of between 3 – 7 meters. The fruit looks like a green grenade which is covered with reddish brown seed pits that give it a lumpy texture. The fruit starts green, turns yellow, ripens to whiteness & falls from the tree.

The tree bears fruit all year round. Once one fruit is picked, a new one will take its place after only 4 weeks!

Nonu originated in India, it now grows in various parts of the world such as SAMOA, French Polynesia, Hawaii, and other pacific island countries. It grows best in mineral-rich volcanic ash and Samoa is a country of 2 main island settled on volcanic ash ground.

The earliest reference to nonu being used as a medicine date back several thousand years to Indiaan Sanskrit writings when it was used in Ayurvedic medicine. Nonu is used in the native medicinal systems of the Pacific islands and used in Samoa for 2000+ years. Parts used include the bark, leaves, flowers, fruit & seeds.
Nonu was, and still is, prescribed by the native Polynesian healers to treat pain, inflammation, burns, skin problems, intestinal worms, nausea, food poisoning, fevers, bowel & menstrual problems, insect & animal bites etc.

Noni in the western world

Although the noni plant has only recently gained attention in the west, other cultures have been using noni juice and other noni products for hundreds, and in some cases, thousands of years. Throughout Asia, Polynesia, India, South America, various Pacific islands and other areas, the noni plant has been used to treat ailments as diverse as fever, eyesight problems, skin problems, respiratory issues and digestive difficulties, amongst others. Such wide-ranging applications are part of the reason for noni juice’s popularity in the west today, and also for the scepticism with which it is regarded by many people, who often see such claims as over-inflated. Still, sceptics aside, the fact remains that many people, both today and throughout history, appear to benefited greatly by using noni juice and other noni products.

International Research

In the past 50 years, scientists and researchers around the world have begun to better understand how the compounds found in Nonu fruit work. The majority of the published research has come from researchers at the University of Hawaii School of Medicine, as well as other laboratories in France and Japan.

Conditions Reported to Respond to Nonu or Noni.

Number of Persons who took Nonu with the below mentioned condition – and the % of people that claimed it helped

Allergy – 2659 – 87%

Arthritis - 1394 – 79%

Asthma – 6714 - 71%

CFIDS  Fibromyalgia – 2693 – 79%

Depression  lessened symptoms -  1258 -   78%

Diabetes Types 1 and 2 – 4634 – 83%

Digestion – 2641 – 90%

Energy  increased -  13331 – 90%

Heart disease - 1796 - 77%

High Blood pressure decreased - 1554 - 85%

Immune System - 3485 - 78%

Kidney Disease – 3134 - 66%

Menstruation - 3161 - 80%

Mental Acuity- increased alertness - 4615 - 73%

Multiple Sclerosis - 20 - 50%

Muscle increased body-building - 1006 - 69%

Obesity- lost some excess weight - 4599 - 72%

Pain- including headaches - 5622 - 87%

Respiratory Problems - 3068 - 71%

Skin and Hair Problems - 813 - 79%

Sleep improved - 1687 - 74%

Smoking stopped - 729 - 56%

Stress coped better - 5616 - 73%

Stroke - 1500 - 53%

0. Well-being- felt better - 6564 - 80%

As I am living in Samoa where Nonu plays a big roll in peoples lives (and in my own) I will continue to report on how we use it and it’s effects.

Please give us your comments on the Nonu….

Mats Loefkvist    www.samoa-experience.com

This is all about the willpower of a young entrepreneurial family that lost their restaurant on the beach when it was hit by the tsunami wave on September 29, 2009.

Sala and Nika had a good going small restaurant in between two big luxury resorts. The guests from both Sinalei Reef Resort and Coconuts Beach Resort all loved the possibility to have a beer and some food together with the locals in an easy and friendly atmosphere just a few steps away.

When the restaurant was flushed away by the tsunami wave and the owner didn’t know what to do, the staff insisted to start building the restaurant up again. They told Sala and Nika – We Can’t Wait!

Without any payments they worked for 3 weeks collecting timber and old parts that could still be used until a new version of the restaurant was created.

Help for the ones that help themselves!

When other people saw what was happening they joined the team and all kinds of building material and money appeared. It was a true Miracle! – Nika said.

Every day was an improvement and very soon people from Apia, 20 km away got to know that one restaurant on the affected south coast was open again. A new sign was placed by the main road leading visitors to the little oasis with cool beers, cocktails and food at the beach.

Prepared for the next wave.

Sala and Nika and their staff have now had time to prepare for the next wave, which hopefully should be tourists from the bigger resorts, that soon will be ready to open after their reconstruction work.

If their entrepreneurial mind was not set to get things started and moving in the beginning they would never be in this great situation of creating prosperity and wealth for themselves, their staff and for the entire village of Siumu.

Well Done!!

Mats Loefkvist   www.samoa-experience.com

Coconuts dining room

We must move fast!

Coconuts Beach Resort was heavily damage during the tsunami on September 29, 2009. The bar, kitchen and conference (movie) room were completely gone. The only part of the beach front restaurant left, was the dining room although nothing inside. The whole building was leaning over and needed to be completely renovated.

The first time I saw the resort after the destruction a boat was standing on top of the debris that ones was a conference room. Despite of a more or less total rebuilding of the resort, Lina the manager of Coconuts, tells me that they need to move fast to get things going as many customers, always returning to Coconuts every year, wants to be back as soon as possible.

Seven Rooms in February.

Already at the end of February about 7 rooms should be ready to use again. Rooms located in the “Tree House” and the “Coco Suites” close to the Spa will be the first ones taken in use during the soft-opening at the end of February. Lina is also talking about reopening the Spa which was still in not too bad shape after the disaster.

All other fales and luxury suites are very heavily damaged and will need lots of time to be rebuilt or renovated. The two very popular “Over-Water” fales are completely gone but with the time they will for sure be constructed again. The future plan is to add more rooms and fales to the resort to be able to accommodate the increasing number of guests every year.

Office in the garden.

At the time I met Lina, the manager of Coconuts Beach Resort she had moved her office out in the garden. It was not that hard to do as the office was just one chair. From her new office it was easy to overlook the work as not much was left to block the view. Building material, equipment and furniture have been ordered from overseas but as everything else in Samoa, it just take some time.

Big Bar and Kitchen.

At this time a brand new bar and a kitchen are under construction and will be finished very soon. Both bar and kitchen will be much bigger then before, to bring the well known restaurant manager “Mika”, lots of space to move around. The old dining room has been straightened up and renovated and is just waiting for new furniture to arrive.

Lots of help from guests and the village.

Many overseas guests have helped the resort in different ways, showing their loyalty and love for something they call unique. Also, without the help and support from the village, it would not be possible to move forward with the rebuilding that is now well on it’s way….

Let Lina explain it all in the Video!

There are many restaurants throughout Apia and outlying areas. Most resorts and hotels have their own restaurants and smaller hotels will house a friendly cafe.

The staple Samoan foods include taro, breadfruit, bananas, coconut, fish and shellfish, chicken and pork. Spices are not heavily used and most foods are cooked in, or eaten with, coconut milk and cream. Fresh fruit is abundant and enjoyed with every meal.

Samoa has quite a rich ethnic mix, with people from Germany, China, Fijian Indians, and Chinese resulting in a lot of options to tempt your palate. Apia being the only city in Samoa means that this is the best place to find a wide range of quality cafes and restaurants. It’s also home to McDonalds if you’re ever in the mood to grab some modern fast food.

Outside of the city, most of the resorts and hotels will have you dining next to the beautiful beaches or lagoons.

 Umu’s

The traditional method for cooking food in Samoa is the Umu. The Umu is an above ground stone oven where lava rocks are heated by fire to a glowing red and the food then placed directly on the rocks, either wrapped in banana leaves or plaited in coconut fronds for cooking.

Generally, whole fish is coated with coco nut cream and wrapped in banana leaf, taros and bananas are tucked between the hot rocks and roasted, and octopus or mackerel is mixed with coconut cream and poured into half coconut shells.

The whole thing is then covered with banana leaves to seal in the heat. After a few hours the food is removed and transferred to the table. Little or no oil is used in this cooking and the smoky flavour permeates all the food giving it a unique flavour. Meat such as chicken and lamb comes out particularly juicy due to the slow cooking, and fish literally melts in your mouth.

As a general rule, Umu’s are usually used made on Sundays as a special treat or for large functions and other special celebrations. In rural villages, this is the only method of cooking as microwaves and stoves are non-existent. Umu’s are usually found out the back in a cooking fale.

Your first Sunday morning in Upolu will be like no other Sunday you have experienced – the smell of hundreds and hundreds of umu’s fills the air!

Drinks

Visitors are recommended to purchase bottled water. There are several quality brands of bottled spring water to choose from in the supermarkets and shops. Although the water in most hotels is safe to drink, it is advised to boil it first and chill it in the fridge.

The traditional drink of Samoa is kava, which is a ground up root mixed with water and has a relaxing effect upon the drinker. Some say it’s an acquired taste. If it’s not your cup of tea, fresh young coconuts can be purchased almost everywhere and are a refreshing, healthy thirst-quencher.
Other than that, supermarkets stock many different soft drinks and juices.

There are bars which serve alcohol, and can be found in almost all hotels and restaurants. There are also other nightspots and small bars to choose from if you enjoy a boogie with your drinks.

This is the place where the police are wearing skirts and were you can find beautiful traditional items on the food- or flea market. Today Apia is a modern small city with the possibility to find almost anything. High speed internet is available in the internet cafe’s and also at some restaurants with wireless systems. Try to spend a few days and nights to explore the restaurants, cafes and night life in town or just stroll along the sea-wall in the afternoon watching all people exercising or talking to each other after another day in paradise.

Take a look at the following link with more details about the food & culture in Apia.

The famous author Robert Louis Stevenson’s former house which now is a very interesting museum is not far away and if you are into Golf, you have two 18 hole golf courses directly outside of the city. Why not go to the “Sliding Rocks” having fun by sliding on flat rocks into pools with cool river water. Apia has it all and it is waiting for you.