‘Otai is a special drink in the island of Tonga, especially during the hot weather. I spent one year in this small Pacific island and I just love this healthy fresh fruit drink.
For those of you who haven’t heard of this Island. It is an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, directly south of Western Samoa. Population is about 102,000. Weather is tropical and normally very hot in December. This is the best time for the ‘Otai and every household I visited will be having ‘Otai as a drink with their food or can be an afternoon snack drink. The common fruits used for the ‘Otai is mangoes, watermelon, pineapple and Vi.
Watermelon and Pineapple ‘Otai
1 pineapple
1 medium size watermelon
1 coconut
2 tb sugar (optional)
Cut pineapple into four pieces and lightly scrape the flesh with a spoon.
Cut watermelon in half and then use a tablespoon to lightly scrape out the flesh and remove the seeds.
Scrape coconut finely and divide into two heaps.
Squeeze one heap to get the coconut cream.
Mix pineapple, watermelon, coconut cream and the scraped coconut flesh in a big jug.
Add one or two glass of water to the jug.
Add sugar (optional).
Mix and chill in the refrigerator until cool then serve.
The fruit combination could be different depending on the season. You can mix any two or three fruits that are available in your country and add the coconut for a distinct island taste. My favorite mix of ‘Otai while in the Kingdom of Tonga were the mango (mature but not ripe ), watermelon and pineapple. Another great mix is the apple, mango and watermelon.
This drink is great for summer barbecues, afternoon drink, and the beach and can also serve as a great fruit punch. Try it as something different in your recipe.