'Otai

‘Otai is a fruit punch, drink, made from coconut milk, coconut juice, mixed with water melon.

Ingredients.

  • Watermelon
  • Coconut Milk (as opposed to the ‘juice’)
  • Coconut Meat Shavings
  • Sugar

The Water Melon is grated ‘scraped’, not squeezed, into a bowl/container as what is desired is not just the juice but the meat as well.

The creamy ingredient is added to the water melon, and several substitutes are used, depending on availability and or dietery choices.

  • Coconut milk (where the ‘milk’ is squizzed from the coconut meat)
  • Milk
  • Thickened Cream

Add the coconut meat shavings.

Minami Falevai demonstrates how you can do all this in the comfort of your own home.

In the Tongan home, you will often find that we drink the ‘Otai with hard bread (Breakfast Crackers) and you can add whatever you want to the ‘Otai to customise the flavouring to your preference.

Many recipes include pineapple for a contrasting flavouring from the sugary watermelon.

The flash style presentation looks like this.

Taste of the South Pacific gives a really good demonstration of simple(r) easy(er) methods of achieving your goal of having your own ‘Otai

Youtube Search tonga 'otai will give you quick list of recipes and samplings.