'otai is a watermelon drink originating from the Tongan Islands in western Polynesia.
'Otai History
'Otai originates from Tonga. A chain of small Polynesian islands in the South Pacific. The Kingdom of Tonga has more than 170 islands, but most of them are too small to be inhabited. About 36-52 islands are inhabited, and 70% of Tongans live on the main island of Tongatapu. It's two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand.
Today, the drink is most closely associated with Tongan cuisine, although similar versions of "otai" are also made and enjoyed in other islands such as Uvea, Samoa, Futuna, Tokelau, Tuvalu and Niue. The original Samoan version, recorded by European colonists in the 1890s, was made by mixing grated ambarella fruit and tender coconut meat with coconut milk and coconut water. Pour the mixture into large empty coconut shells stuffed with coconut shells and cool in a sink of cold water before serving.
The best-known modern Tongan recipes today are usually a mixture of water, shredded coconut and various grated tropical fruits, the most common being watermelon, mango and pineapple, with watermelon being the most used in the Tongan Islands. Sugar is often added for flavor.
Tongan historians point out that this version is a very modern interpretation of the traditional Polynesian "otai", especially since milk, refined sugar, watermelon, mango and pineapple were all imported, foreign ingredients that are not native to Tonga. The original Tongan recipe is said to be the same as the Samoan recipe, except that the preferred native fruit is not ambarella (vi) but the Tongan mountain apple, called fekika. In Samoa, the difference between this "native" and "introduced" recipe is that "'otai" refers only to drinks made from vi fruit, while 'otai made from fruits introduced from Europe are called vai meleni (watermelon) drink), vai mago (mango drink) or vai fala (pineapple drink).
Otai is a watermelon-based drink, almost like a smoothie usually made with other tropical fruits such as pineapple, mango, coconut, etc. It's thick, creamy, and super refreshing. It can be blended until very smooth and strained, or mixed with any remaining fruit pieces in it.
recipe
raw material
- 5-6 cups cold seedless watermelon cubes
- 1 cup cold crushed pineapple
- 1 can cold whole-fat coconut milk (about 13.5 ounces)
- 1 cup cold coconut water
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2-3 teaspoons simple syrup
instruct
Traditional method:
- Place the watermelon in a large bowl and mash or grate until mostly liquid but still retaining a few small chunks. Add the rest of the ingredients except the simple syrup, mash a little more and mix well. If a sweeter drink is desired, taste and add simple syrup, then chill for 30 minutes and serve over ice
- The lazy way. Add all the ingredients except the simple syrup to a blender and blend until combined but still chunky - you don't want a thin puree. This drink has texture. Taste, add some simple syrup, stir for a few more seconds, taste again and add more sweetener if needed. Chill for about 30 minutes, then serve over ice.
