Description
by Melanie Anthony
Samoussa ek Baja
Popular throughout Mauritius, Samoussa ek Baja are often sold “so so” (piping hot) by food street hawkers on main street corners. Samoussa (the local version of the Indian samosa), is a triangular fried pastry of thin dough wrapped around a savoury filling of curried potatoes, and a popular gajack (appetizer) at family dinners. Baja is is another fried treat in Mauritius, made with besan (chickpea flour) mixed with wheat flour and deep-fried; they are both served with pima vert craze, a green chilli sauce.
Roti ek Cari Poule
Roti, thin, hand-rolled flatbreads, are an essential part of Mauritian cuisine; the secret lies in the multiple layers that keep it soft but creates bits of crispiness. Roti is best enjoyed to mop up a fragrant curry like Cari Poule (chicken curry), with pieces of chicken cooked with toasted curry massala (blend) imported directly from Mauritius, to which fresh herbs, tomatoes, and potatoes are added to enrich the thick, creamy sauce.
Also available vegetarian with Masala Gros Pois (lima beans), also a very popular dish on the island.
Both dishes are come with a crisp lettuce & cucumber side salad, and tomato chutney.
Sagoo Mauricien
Cassava, manioc, and yuca all names for a hearty tuber that has been a staple ingredient in Mauritius since the time of colonization, with enslaved people and indentured labourers preparing it many different ways, both savoury and sweet. This very old recipe uses it two ways, with soft chunks of cassava together with bouncy little sagoo (tapioca pearls), made from the starch extracted from the same plant, cooked together in creamy coconut milk.
