A mixture of curry powder, turmeric, chilies, and tomatoes in a rich curry give off an aroma that can be smelled from miles away. These flavours remind me of home and my mom’s kitchen in Mauritius.
This curry holds a special place in my heart as each time I have a taste of it, it’s the warmth of home that comes back, the love and togetherness of family. I still remember having chicken curry served at family gatherings where everyone would sit together to have our meal. A rich gravy, tender chicken, rice, and a salad; that was all that was set onto the plate. We would dig in with our hands and know that we’ve had a good chicken curry when our fingertips are left stained by the turmeric.
This recipe does somewhat resemble an Indian curry but this one is a Mauritian Curry. Mauritius is found in the middle of the Indian Ocean and often called the ‘Paradise Island’. It’s an island where we have the beauty of a multicultural society. It is indeed a blessing to be living in such a country where we meet all kinds of people and this reflects in the food as well.
Having a multicultural society results in a large number of dishes coming from various parts of the world and this builds up the Mauritian cuisine. It is the food and the love that binds us together and we live as one people and as one nation.
The love of cooking and blogging simply did not go away when I moved from Mauritius to PEI. Back home, I was very involved in creating recipes, photographing my dishes, and blogging about it. That was my sweet escape, my comfort zone and my happy place. Moving here for my studies at UPEI did bring something else as well, a great team.
When I first moved here, I got to know Jyanesh and Tamish. Jyanesh was awarded for his great video skills at a very young age back in Mauritius and Tamish is the one behind the camera to capture each moment and making it precious. It is at that moment that we got together, formed a team and set out for new adventures. I am Trishtee and this is my dream team.
Chicken Curry
Photo credit: Tamish Boodhun
Ingredients
Marinade
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chili flakes
1 tsp ginger paste
3 tsp crushed onion
3 garlic cloves, diced
1 Thai chili pepper, minced
1 star anise
1/2 lemon, juiced
Curry
1 onion
5 garlic cloves
3 medium potatoes
200ml crushed tomatoes
Coriander leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
Water
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp garam masala
Other
10 chicken drumsticks
Oil for frying
Photo credit: Tamish Boodhun
Preparation
Marinade and Chicken
Combine all of the marinade ingredients together. Mix well. Add chicken and allow to sit for a minimum of one hour.
After chicken is marinated, fry each drumstick in oil heated to a medium-high heat until well cooked.
You can prepare the curry while the chicken is cooking.
Photo credit: Tamish Boodhun
Curry
Slice onion, dice the garlic cloves, and peel and dice the potatoes. Put potatoes in water to avoid turning brown.
Sweat the onions and garlic in a large saucepan.
After 3-4 minutes, add the crushed tomatoes followed by the spices.
Add in 100ml of water and the diced potatoes and allow to simmer for 30 minutes on low heat. Stir at regular intervals.
After 30 minutes, add in the cooked chicken and allow it to simmer for an additional 15 minutes.
Once cooked, garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve with rice.
Easy Samosas
This recipe is a quick and cheap version of a samosa and works well if you have unexpected guests at home or even if you don’t have the skills of making a samosa dough. We used cheese and corn as our filling, but feel free to experiment with other ingredients.
Photo credit: Tamish Boodhun
Ingredients
5 small tortillas
100g of corn
Diced cheese
10g flour
3 or 4 Tbsp water
Oil for frying
Preparation
Add water to the flour to form a sticky paste that is not too thick.
Cut the tortilla in half. Place the cheese and corn at one end of the halved tortilla.
Photo credit: Tamish Boodhun
Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the sides of tortilla with the flour
paste mixture.
Fold the tortilla in half over the filling, and press the sides of the tortilla
firmly to seal.
Photo credit: Tamish Boodhun
Heat your oil to a medium-high temperature and fry the samosas until golden brown, turning as needed.
