Kaima bona gatoi

Name: Kaima bona gatoi
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Papua New Guinea
Ingredients: 600 g sweet potatoes, cut into 1 cm rounds; 500 g aubergines, cut into 1.5 cm slices; 200 ml coconut cream; 3 limes; 2 red chillies, chopped; 1 red onion, sliced; 3 tbsp coconut oil; 1½ tsp salt; A bunch of coriander

Grilled aubergine and sweet potato marinated in lime, coconut and chilli, served warm across Papua New Guinea.

Published on 6 July 2026·Updated on 10 September 2026

VeganGluten-free#aubergine#sweet potato#coconut#lime#grilled

AI-generated image, not a photograph of the dish

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 35 min
Total: 55 min
Serves: 4
Difficulty: Easy

Method

Brush the sweet potato rounds and aubergine slices with coconut oil and salt them.
Grill the sweet potato over coals or on a cast-iron griddle for 8 minutes a side, until a knife tip slides through.
Grill the aubergine for 4 minutes a side, until it marks and softens.
Squeeze the limes into a bowl and whisk in the coconut cream with the salt.
Stir the red onion and chillies into the marinade and leave it 5 minutes.
Cut the grilled vegetables into large pieces and fold them into the marinade while still hot.
Let it sit for 20 minutes so the coconut soaks in, then scatter the coriander over as you serve.

Hot vegetables drink a marinade, cold ones wear it on the surface. That is why these go into the bowl straight off the grill. With no coconut cream to hand, chill a tin of coconut milk overnight and spoon off the thick layer on top.

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Nutrition per serving

Calories: 450 kcal
Protein: 6.4 g
Fat: 28.1 g
Carbohydrate: 49.9 g
Fibre: 11.5 g

An estimate computed from the recipe quantities and the USDA food composition database. Real values vary with the products used.

Frequently asked questions

Why mix the vegetables into the marinade while hot?

Hot vegetables drink the marinade in; cold ones only wear it on the surface. So you cut them into large pieces straight off the grill and fold them into the lime-spiked coconut cream immediately.

What can replace coconut cream?

Chill a tin of coconut milk overnight and lift off the thick layer that rises to the top. That fatty fraction stands up to the juice of three limes, where whole coconut milk would give a marinade that is simply too thin.

Can I oven-roast rather than grill?

Grilling or coals give the char that shapes this dish. In the oven, go hot and aim for the same signs: sweet potato a knife tip passes through, and aubergine slices that colour and soften.

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