Liquid Gold: The Heart of Fiji-Indian Cooking
By Roshika Chand
When I think of the foods that shaped my earliest memories of Fiji, I don’t just remember taste, I remember sound, warmth, and aroma. The gentle sizzle in the pot. The smell that made my mouth water before I even sat at the table. Ultimately, the golden ghee.
For Fiji Indians like me, ghee isn’t just an ingredient. It’s culture, comfort, and heritage, a golden thread woven through our curries, savouries, and sweet dishes. I only spent a few years in Fiji before moving to Australia, but the memories stamped on my soul live mostly in favour and I mean Fijian favour.
Especially the roti, my fua or bua/phua (dad’s sister), would make, brushed with her homemade ghee, straight from the cows in her paddock. A dollop on dhal taka, a smear on hot roti, or spooned lovingly into a bubbling pot.
In our kitchens, ghee isn’t just fuel, it’s a favour magnifer and a cultural anchor. It gives curries and dals that golden sheen and rounded richness oil alone can’t match. It’s comfort food in its purest form, whether you were sick, celebrating, or simply hungry after school. A spoon of ghee meant warmth and care.
Many families even added a little ghee to a baby’s first meals, believing it nourished growing bodies and gave strength. The staple dishes included the famous kichadi, a simple, comforting dish of rice and lentils cooked together. Each home with their own unique recipe, but guess what was a must ingredient? Yes, the golden ghee. This wasn’t about trends or nutritional labels, it was about heart, hearth, and heritage.
Back in the 1980s, like many families who migrated to lands far and beyond, mine moved through the islands, like Tonga and the Cook Islands, before eventually landing in Australia. During that time, many Fiji-Indian families migrated in search of stability, education, and opportunity, particularly as political uncertainty and economic shifts reshaped life in Fiji.
Melbourne became home to a growing Fiji-Indian community, while Sydney emerged as the largest hub for Fijians in Australia, hardworking, deeply family-oriented, carrying culture in their kitchens long before it was spoken about publicly.
Australia is home in every practical sense. But Fiji lives somewhere deeper set in my heart, carried in memory, favour, and tradition. Food became the bridge between the two. Through ghee, through roti, through shared meals, home was never entirely lost.
Some foods feed the body, others feed identity. For me, ghee has always done both, a meal with ghee brought connection.
Perhaps some truths don’t live in studies at all. Maybe, they live in memories, in family kitchens, shared meals, and the quiet comfort of food that reminds you exactly where you come from.
Therefore, I am sharing my Nani’s Benmati’s Golden Ghee Lentil Recipe – she is the strong woman I dedicate this article to. I hope this meal brings you much joy and good health as it does to me.
Ingredients
• 1 cup mung dhal (soaked overnight, then drained)
• 2 tablespoons ghee (or more, to taste)
• 1 medium onion, finely sliced
• 3–4 cloves garlic, crushed (ginger optional)
• Fresh chilli, chopped (to taste)
• ½ teaspoon turmeric and cumin
• Salt, to taste
• Water (enough to cook the dhal)
Method
1. Heat the ghee in a pot over medium heat until melted and fragrant.
2. Add onions and sauté gently until soft and lightly golden.
3. Stir in the crushed garlic and chilli, cooking for about 30 seconds until aromatic.
4. Add turmeric, cumin and salt, mixing well.
5. Add the soaked mung dhal and stir to coat the grains in ghee and spices.
6. Pour in enough water to cover the dhal by about 2-3 cm.
7. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat and let it simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally.
8. Cook until the mung dhal is soft, creamy, and fully cooked (about 25-35 minutes).
9. Adjust salt if needed. For extra comfort, finish with a small spoon of ghee on top before serving.
How to Serve
• With hot bhatt (rice) and extra ghee
• With roti, torn and dipped
• On its own, simple and nourishing
Enjoy
