Mauritian Cuisine, a Real Revelation!

Mauritius was made first and then heaven; and heaven was copied after Mauritius

Mark Twain

A lovely friend invited me around for dinner in the week, always in the mood for some natter, a drop or two of Rose and some good food, (She’s a real foodie and a FAB cook!!), I eagerly accepted!

After a couple of glasses of Aperol Spritz we headed for the alfresco dinner table and what a treat was in store! To start we had Spicy Crab Courgette Flowers, omg, they were to die for, lovely sweet crab with just a hint of heat wrapped in the delicate flower of baby courgettes, the taste and look were AMAZING!

For a main we had Sea bass with coriander and chilli – wow!! Just when I thought the starter couldn’t be bettered this took my breath away, I love sea bass anyway however, the combination of the subtle flesh of the fish with the cumin, chilli and lime was simply orgasmic! With a light mango salad on the side the dish was an absolute triumph! With two drop dead gorgeous dishes down, the assembled guests were eagerly anticipating what was to come – let me tell you, it did not disappoint!!

What appeared was a bright, sun kissed vision of loveliness! Mango lime and rum syllabub – love, love, loved this pud, so much so that at the end I’m going to show you the recipe!

The conversation quickly homed in on where my friend had got such wonderful recipes or was this all local intuition? With a rye smile she asked if we watched MasterChef, some nodding around the table except from me, I’m not a huge fan, sorry BBC. Turns out, the winner of the 2012 series, Shelina Permalloo, had written a cook book called Sunshine on a Plate. I had to see the book and the recipes within and I was instantly hooked!

During the course of the series, Shelina introduced the viewing public to the wonders of Mauritian cuisine, in all honesty I had no idea up until this point that Mauritius even had a cuisine! I’m not sure I’ve ever come across a more diverse fusion of cultures and food, a fabulous cacophony of sweet and sour, spicy and fragrant not really a surprise when you consider the influences are pulled from all over the world, French, Indian, African, British and Chinese influences. What a fabulous fusion it makes, for example, where else would you see Chinese chicken and pork steamed dumplings appear alongside a Mauritian adaptation of the French stew, daube de boeuf, Indian-inspired curries, wild boar sausages with a piquant Creole sauce, and so on.

The flavour combinations, heavily spiced with chilli throughout, are consistently captivating, sometimes bizarrely so (beef and papaya, fennel and mango, mussels with watermelon and chilli all challenge the imagination).

It’s probably fair to say that as an amateur, mum taught cook, Shelina would not have published a book had she not become MasterChef champion. Indeed, it would appear that the natural order of things would dictate that each winner of the series brings out a book, opens a restaurant or starts an artisan bakery under some redundant railway arch in North London however, this is no get rich quick attempt to capitalise on that victory, it’s a considered, innovative and inviting collection of over 100 recipes which will expand the horizons of most home cooks.

Needless to say, I was on Amazon as soon as I got home and am now a proud owner of this delicious collection of fabulous recipes! I would urge you to do the same, I promise you won’t be disappointed!

The recipe for Mango lime and rum syllabub is available on-line on a whole variety of websites so I’m sure I’m not infringing any copywrite;

Mango Lime and Rum Syllabub

Serves 4

4 ginger biscuits, crushed
300ml double cream
½ vanilla pod, seeds scraped (see below)
3 tbsp unrefined icing sugar
75ml rum, plus 4 tsp
zest and juice of 4 limes
150ml tinned Alphonso mango purée (alternatively blitz fresh mangoes in a food processor)
2 Alphonso mangoes, peeled and cut into 2.5cm cubes
desiccated coconut to sprinkle over the top
mint leaves, to decorate (optional)

Put the ginger biscuits into a large plastic bag (a sandwich bag is ideal) and bash vigorously with a rolling pin until you have a bag of crumbs
Using an electric whisk, lightly whip the double cream. Add the vanilla seeds, icing sugar, the 75ml of rum, lime juice and zest, reserving a little for decoration. Keep whisking until it forms light peaks. Add about one third of the mango purée and half the cubed mango and fold through for a marbled effect.
To assemble the syllabubs, divide the crumbs between 4 glasses. Sprinkle a teaspoon of rum over each and top with the rest of the mango purée. Spoon the cream over the top. Just before serving, sprinkle with desiccated coconut and reserved lime zest. Decorate with the mint leaves, if using.

There is a note - To remove the seeds from a vanilla pod, place the pod on a chopping board and, using the flat of a knife, press firmly along the whole pod to flatten it. Slice the pod in half lengthways and scrape out the seeds using the sharp of the knife.

Enjoy!!

What’s on this week?

Head, Eyes & Teeth – Catwa Head, Rigged Eyes and teeth - Catya v3.2

Hair – Navy+Copper - Souffle Blonde, @ this months Uber

Skin – Amara Beauty - Anita - PACK A

Body, Hands & Feet – Maitreya Mesh Body - Lara V4.0

AO – VISTA ANIMATIONS *HUD 5.33*ZOE FULL BENTO-V1 NOFACE

Physics – Temptation – Maitreya Physics II 2018 Bento Realism Fatpack +

Shape – Elle et Lui, Natasha Shape for Catwa Bento Head Catya, (Adjusted)

Tattoo – [CAROL G] Nomadic Owl - Black

Nose Piercing – ^^Swallow^^ Princess Piercing Nose 01

Necklace – [MANDALA] CHUNKY Chain Necklace @ this months Uber