Chatini thon (Tuna)

Chatini is a word that is very difficult to explain ,most dishes that are called chatini are pureed or grated and are served alongside other dishes. Most vegetables are made into a chatini pumpkin, tomatoes, aubergines, carrots ,green mangoes, coconut, green payaya, fruit de cythere verts http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://caribfruits.cirad.fr/fiches_fruits/pomme_cythere&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=3&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%2Bfruits%2Bde%2Bcythere%2Bverts%2B%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG.This is a deliciously tart fruit,I have substituted bramley apples with great sucess. The list is by no means exhaustive, generally the vegetable or fruit is cooked .The chatini that are made with unripe fruits add a sour element to the dish like a pickle or chutney.





The ingredients of a chatini are the same thinly sliced onions, chillies,( not all contain chilli) ,oil, lemon, spring onions at the end.





The following recipe is a chatini that is made from tuna a very popular fish in the seychelles.We often make chatini with shark as there are quite a few around the clear crystal waters surrounding the island.The following recipe works very well with tinned tuna. Everyone who lives in the uk from seychelles will always have a few tins in the store cupbourd to prepare this very easy and quick dish.Often if you read the country of origin you will see seychelles, mauritius, thailand, india, these are the ones that we look for .





A creole meal will have a few items so that each mouthful is different each dish offsets the other and most have a function, so to speak. Take for instance ,grilled fishserved with the bland backdrop of basmati rice and a cooling cucumber salad which refreshes the mouth but also cools the heat of the chilli from the fish. Its all about balance .Its very similar to the thai principal of hot, sour, sweet ,salt. Many seychelle dishes contain this balance of flavours.





Chatini thon





4 tins of tuna ( in brine squeeze out as much of this as you can)





2 small red onions ,thinly sliced





the leaves from 6 sprigs thyme,





4 or 5 small green chillies, chopped





2 spring onions, chopped,





20g peeled and grated ginger



1tsp cumin seeds



a very large handful of flat leaved parsley





salt





pepper





4 tbsp turmeric powder





juice of 1 large lemon





4 bililmbi (recipe works without it add a little more lemon)