As we journey around in search of palatable African dishes to share with our readers, we stumble upon Adelaide resident Nazeem Jummun from the island of Mauritius. He was quite happy to share with us the recipe of one of the Islands popular dishes – Prawn Rougaille.
Nazeem came to Australia in 2008 to study; he graduated with a Master’s degree in Architecture in April 2016 and is now an Australian citizen.
The unique cuisine of the island of Mauritius is a mix of native African, French, Chinese and Indian influences. Being far away from home doesn’t mean we miss out on the tasty cuisines of our countries of origin. During the weekends Nazeem will head to the local Asian shops and buy his much needed ingredients and return home ready to resurrect the tasty dishes of Mauritius back to life in his kitchen in Adelaide.
One of Mauritius’ favourites, the Prawn Ragouille is steeped in a spicy tomato sauce and is quick and easy to prepare. It combines tomatoes, onions, thyme, garlic, ginger and chillies. It’s a spicy tomato dish that can also be made with meat or paneer for a vegetarian version.
Prawn rougaille Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- olive oil
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
- 125 ml white wine
- 500 g tomatoes, peeled and chopped
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 2 small red or green chillies, finely chopped
- ½ bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 2 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
- 1 kg green king prawns, shelled, heads and tails intact
- ½ bunch coriander, chopped
METHOD
- Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and half the garlic and fry until golden. Pour in half the wine to soften the onion, then add the tomatoes and cook for a few minutes over high heat to reduce. Stir in the cumin, paprika, salt and pepper and an extra drizzle of olive oil. Add the chilli, parsley and thyme and remove from the heat.
- Heat a little more oil in a frying pan and fry the remaining garlic until fragrant. Add the prawns, season with pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the remaining wine to deglaze the pan.
- Tip the prawns into the rougaille (tomato sauce) and stir through the coriander.
Cari Bari Recipe
(Chilli Cake Curry)
INGREDIENTS
Chilli Cakes
250gm split peas- 2 or 3 green or red chilli’s (to make it as hot as you like)
- 2 tbspn chopped coriander leaves
- 2 tbspn finely chopped spring onion
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds or powdered cumin
- oil for frying
Curry sauce
4 tomatoes- 1/2 onion
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek, mustard and small anise
- 2 eggplants.
- 2 green chillies
- 1/2 tsp grinded cgarlic
- 1/2 tsp grinded ginger
- 2 spoon masala
-
Coriander
-
Spring onions
-
Curry leaves
- Thymes
- 1 tsp oil
METHOD:
To make the chilli cakes:
- Wash the split peas and allow to soak in water for at least 3-4 hours (preferably overnight)
- Drain the split peas thoroughly and blend to a medium texture. Be sure not to blend it to fine, it needs to still have some texture.
- Add all other ingredients and mix well – you can add a small amount of water if necessary.
- Heat oil to a medium – hot heat. Shape mixture into small balls and deep fry in batches until golden brown. Drain oil and place on absorbent paper to absorb the oil.
To make the curry sauce.
- In the same oil fry the largely cut eggplants.
- In a bigger deep pan, put very little oil, then add the onions, curry leaves, fenugreek, mustard and small anise- sauté.
- Add tomatoes and let cook till they are tender.
- Add 1/4 water and the remaining raw chilli cake paste, and 3 spoon massala. let cook.
- After 4-5 min or when we can see the water in boiling and making bubbles add the fried eggplants and chilli cakes. Stir well. Let cook for another 3-4 mins.
- Add coriander and spring onions.
- Serve hot with bread or rice.
Pickled vegetables (achard)
INGREDIENTS
- 180 ml vegetable oil
- 2 large onions, finely sliced
- 10 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 4 long red or green chillies, sliced into strips
- 2 tbsp black mustard seeds
- 250 g cabbage, finely sliced
- 250 g carrots, julienned
- 250 g green beans, sliced into strips
- 250 g cauliflower, finely sliced
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
METHOD:
- You will need to begin this recipe 2 days ahead.
- To make the vegetable achard, heat the oil in a large frying pan and sweat the onion, garlic, chilli and mustard seeds. Add the remaining vegetables and mix well. Remove from the heat. Add the vinegar and season to taste. Fill sterilised jars and store in the refrigerator. Leave for at least 2 days before serving.
- Achards will keep for 1 week in the fridge.
