Entree: Fiji – Central Culinary Region – Lovo (Earth oven)

Serving Size: 6

Approximate Time

Prep 45 min

Cook 4 hrs

Additional 30 min

Total 4 hrs 30 min

Ingredients

- 3 lb (1.4 kg) pork shoulder, bone-in, cut into large chunks
- 2 whole fish, about 2 lb (900 g) each, cleaned and scaled
- 1 lb (450 g) taro (dalo), peeled and halved
- 1 lb (450 g) cassava (manioc), peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 lb (450 g) sweet potatoes, peeled and halved
- 6 firm green bananas or plantains, unpeeled
- 2 cups (480 ml) coconut cream
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) fresh lime juice
- 4 cloves (12 g) garlic, crushed
- 1 tbsp (15 g) sea salt
- 1 tsp (5 g) freshly ground black pepper
- 2 medium onions, sliced
- 6–8 banana leaves for lining and wrapping
- Kitchen twine or non-reactive string
- Hot stones or preheated baking stones (for traditional heat source) — no measurement

Instructions

1. Combine crushed garlic, lime juice, 1 tbsp (15 g) sea salt and 1 tsp (5 g) pepper in a bowl; reserve 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the coconut cream for finishing.
2. Toss the pork chunks in half of the marinade and let sit at least 30 minutes (or refrigerate up to 4 hours) to develop flavor.
3. Rinse the cleaned whole fish, season inside and out with a little salt and pepper, and stuff cavities with sliced onion and a splash of the remaining coconut cream.
4. Prepare banana leaves by briefly passing them over a flame or hot pan until pliable; line a shallow pan or pit base with several leaves to form the cooking bed.
5. Layer the hot-stone bed or baking stones (if using an oven method) and place taro, cassava, and sweet potatoes directly on the leaves; drizzle 1 cup (240 ml) coconut cream over the root vegetables.
6. Arrange the marinated pork over the roots, then place the whole fish wrapped in banana leaves atop the pork; tuck bananas around the edges. Pour remaining coconut cream over the fish and meat, and add the sliced onions between layers.
7. Wrap tightly with additional banana leaves and secure with kitchen twine so steam cannot escape; cover the entire assembly with a heavy layer of foil (for oven method) or earth/mats if doing a true pit.
8. Traditional pit method: cook over preheated hot stones covered with earth for 4–6 hours. Oven method: preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) with baking stones, place wrapped lovo on a rimmed baking sheet and bake 3½–4½ hours until meat and roots are tender and falling apart.
9. Carefully unwrap (watch for steam), remove banana leaves, and transfer meat, fish and roots to a serving platter. Spoon reserved 1/2 cup (120 ml) coconut cream over hot fish and meat, and serve family-style.