Finding FUNgi in Tortola

My family recently went on a Disney cruise. I never thought we would do that! It happened to be a spectacularly luxurious experience complete with a sexy-as-hell acoustic vocalist named Selkie playing our requests late night, a tall and beautiful Indian server named Sugith who made a magical Indian dinner appear special for us, daily head chef cooking classes with samples and wine tastings, and a super lavenous magician named Mike Super. We set out to make the kiddo happy on her summer vacation, and ended up being mighty pleased adults.

Tortola views...but where's the food?

One of our ports of call was Tortola, British Virgin Islands. Now, I prefer to take new places and cultures by foot with an appetite and a keen interest in what the locals have to share. In this case, I was resigned to cheerfully tour the island in an open-air bus with a group from the cruise ship, but I simply did not have that satisfied feeling when it was over. So I dragged-my love bug husband and cutie tween around making up excuses to banter and chit chat with a few locals, from whom I learned about a local dish they pronounced “foonjee.” Apparently, it was something of a staple in household kitchens, but not typically offered in restaurants for the tourists. Though, I felt sure that I must see, smell and taste this thing, so I kept asking around for where to find this real taste of Tortola. Eventually someone told me that we should go and see Gloria. Just that. Ok. Gloria, the “foonjee” dealer. So with the next few folks we came across, I followed this crumb by explaining that I was looking for Gloria to taste her “foonjee.”

The reactions I got to this were priceless! First of all, everyone who I name-dropped with knew  Gloria and immediately stopped talking to us as if we were tourists; it was traveler-heaven to me.  So they kind of pointed and directed us until we found this place with the name Midtown above the door. We went inside to discover a diner atmosphere with a couple of no-nonsense women who were quietly cooking and cleaning, a few tired looking locals eating or having a cool drink, and a few barefoot children roaming and sometimes helping. One of the ladies behind the counter was sitting comfortably while washing bottles…seeming maybe like the person in charge. I asked her if she was Gloria, to which she quietly uttered “yeah” without making eye contact. Oi! Ok, a tiny challenge. I searched the wall-posted menu, but saw nothing that indicated this local dish pronounced “foonjee.” My daughter ordered a soda and my husband ordered something called chicken roti (both endearingly patient with my determination) as I tried and tried to build a quick rapport with Gloria by proving that I wasn’t interested in the usual tourist experiences. I explained that I wanted to taste this dish called “foonjee” because several local people with whom I had spoken had said it was their favorite. Without verbally acknowledging me, she sent the other lady into the kitchen and nodded her head at me in a way that felt like a big win.

Gloria's Place

My husband got his chicken roti first, and seriously it was amazing. I took one bite just to taste, but had a hard time restraining myself! He agreed it was exceptionally good, but my focus was laser-like on the “foonjee.” Then my taste of Tortola arrived as a rounded scoop in a small dish without much ado…quite a contrast to the meals I was being presented with on the cruise ship. I was delighted, though. The flavor was sort of creamy and corn-sweet. It was very smooth and had a flavor that could easily accompany any meat or other protein. I understood immediately why it was a household staple. It was simple and elegant and very homey…an easy choice for comfort food. Also, given one secret trick, it is very easy to make. I declared to Gloria that I loved it and that I was going to travel back to my kitchen and make it straight-away. That (finally) got a big smile and a chuckle, as well as the secret tip. Back home, I also learned that Gloria’s diner, Midtown, is Island-famous for her special chicken roti (no surprise), and that the dish pronounced “foonjee” is spelled fungi. The star ingredient is okra rather than mushrooms, so don’t be fooled by the name. Being a bit adverse to okra in general, I am thrilled by a tasty new way to get okra’s superhero nutrients!

Fungi Ingredients:

• handful of frozen or fresh cut okra
• 3⁄4 cup fine yellow cornmeal
• 1 1⁄4 cups boiling water
• 1 tablespoon butter
• dash of salt to taste
• dash of pepper to taste

Method:

1. Bring the water to a boil and add the okra and a bit of diced onion.
2. In a separate bowl, blend 2 tbsp of the cornmeal with about 6 tbsp water. This is the secret tip: Get it wet first so that it won’t clump when you put it into the boiling water. Pour into the pot with the boiling water and okra and let cook for one minute.
3. Slowly pour the rest of the cornmeal into the pan, stirring constantly. Add the butter and salt and pepper, continuing to cook for 5 minutes.

Add a piece of boiled fish to the top and you have just taken a prepared an imaginary trip to a typical Tortola household for dinner.

Special thanks to my long-time friend and amazing travel agent, Korrine Johnson, with Journey Travel Company for setting us up on this trip.

Cheers to ease and pleasure and something new now and again to keep things yummy in the kitchen! 

Next up: 

• The Beauty of Minimalist Coffee
• What the Freezer For?!
• Kitchen Sun Salutations