CURRY POWDER, PASTE AND SAUCE
Ingredients:
- 10 dried red chillies (vary quantity to taste)
- 6 tablespoons coriander seeds
- 4 tablespoons cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons fenugreek seeds
- 2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
- 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
- 4 curry leaves
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
Method:
- Destalk the dried red chillies. Heat up a heavy frying pan (cast iron carail is best). Using medium heat, dry fry the chillies, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, mustard seeds and black peppercorns until a rich aroma is developed. Stir constantly to even roast and avoid burning the ingredients.
- Allow to cool and grind the spices in a coffee grinder or by using a pestle and mortar. Stir in the ginger and turmeric. When cooking a curry, add 4 curry leaves to the powder.
- Enjoy.
GIGOT DE MOUTON
Ingredients:
- 3 kg leg of lamb
- 50 grams butter
- 300 grams peeled carrots, roughly chopped
- 500 grams onions, roughly chopped
- 1 small bouquet garni
- 1 bottle dry white wine
- 100 grams garlic, peeled
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method:
- Preheat oven to 170 degree centigrade or 325 degree fahrenheit.
- Heat the butter in a large casserole and seal the lamb on all sides until golden brown all over. Take out the lamb from the casserole and put aside. Put in the carrots, cover and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Add the onions, cover and simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Add the bouquet garni into the casserole and put the lamb back in. Pour over the white wine and boil for 3 minutes.
- Transfer everything into a large deep oven going dish.
- Add 2 litres of water, garlic and season to taste with the salt and pepper.
- Cover the oven dish with aluminium foil and carefully seal all the edges.
- Put into the oven and cook for four hours. Check every hour to ensure that the stock comes halfway up the lamb. Add more water if necessary. After four hours, the meat should be as soft as butter.
- Carefully remove the lamb from the oven dish and place on a serving dish.
- Pass the stock through a sieve, crush the garlic cloves into a paste and stir into the stock.
- Check the seasoning and season again if necessary. Pour the sauce on the lamb.
- Enjoy.
MAURITIUS FOOD
The eating habits of the Mauritians inevitably reflect the ethnic diversity of its people: Creole rougailles, Indian curries, Muslim bryanis, Chinese sweet-and-sour pork, French delicate dishes, English bacon and eggs, ...... you name it, you'll get it there.
Basic ingredients of the Creole cuisine are the tomatoes (known as pommes d'amour), onions, ginger, garlic and chillies. Palm heart and Camarons (giant prawns), venison and wild boar are favourite items of French cuisine. Fresh fish and seafood set the keynote for Chinese cooking. The traditional blends of home crushed spices are the sauce base for mouth glowing Indian curries. The delicate blend of spiciness and subtle mix of ingredients constitute the setting for the event-related Muslim cuisine. Local vegetables and fruits abound all year round in a colourful selection of mouth watering delights.