When to serve this dish?

This is one of the dishes that guests are offered as part of a multi-course Creole lunch and it remains one of the most popular on the island. It’s a traditional Creole chicken curry – a meal you’re likely to find on many Mauritian tables. The dish is usually served during some cultural festivals and during Hindu wedding ceremonies.

What makes it unique?

The traditional blend of home crushed spices is the secret behind the uniqueness of this dish. It revives your taste buds with different savours and textures which might have been unknown to you until this very moment you tasted the dish.

How to accompany the dish?

In Mauritius, this kind of curry is traditionally served with rice, lentils and vegetable pickles (atchar or achard). Yet, the dish can be accompanied with many other local specialities such as the Dholl puree, roti, farata, bread or rice. It is traditionally served with a mixed salad of lettuce, cucumber, carrots and watercress. In some Mauritian families they also like to have some lentils soup as side dish to the chicken curry. As drink, you can enjoy a fruity rosé to accompany this dish.

The Main Ingredient of the Dish: Curry powder

If you can’t get your hands on Creole curry powder (in case you haven’t been to Mauritius in a while) you can use a mild curry powder, or make your own using a mixture of turmeric powder, coriander powder, chilli powder, cinnamon powder, ground cumin, ground fenugreek and ground cardamom.

The Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
• 5 chicken curry leaves
• 1 small onion, slices
• Salt to taste
• 2 large potatoes, cut into quarters
• 1 tablespoon chopped thyme leaves
• 1/2 tablespoon ginger paste and garlic paste
• 1 cup finely chopped coriander leaves
• 1 cup fined chopped spring onions
• 3 tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tablespoon curry powder
• 3 tablespoon oil
• Water

Instructions

1. Cut the chicken into equal bits and wash carefully.
2. Heat the dish you will use to prepare the curry with one tablespoon of oil and add the chicken.
3. Leave to cook for 3-5 minutes, remove and put aside.
4. In the same dish heat 2 tablespoon of oil.
5. Add  sliced onion, thyme, curry leaves and stir fry for 2 minutes.
6. Add the curry powder in the dish and add some water to form a paste.
7. Add the ginger and garlic paste and some water, cover and simmer for 5 minutes
8. Put the chicken and potatoes in the dish, stir well, cover and cook until half done
9. Add the chopped tomatoes,salt and some water if required
10. Cover and cook until the chicken, potatoes and tomatoes are completely done (Check at various intervals)
11. Once the chicken is done, check for the consistency, turn off the heat and garnish with coriander leaves and spring onion

If you wish during the second step you can add some Prawns to add up some more taste to the dish!

Well if you are not really into cooking and if you are lucky enough to be in Mauritius, you can taste them at one of the hotels in Mauritius such as Villa Caroline in Flic-En-Flac or at one of the stunning Chateau in Mauritius- Le Chateau Labourdonnais.

Bon Appetit biensure!