Hakien (Spring Rolls)
 

Cooking Time: 40 Minutes. Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients

300g chicken, white boneless fish or prawn meat (it also works to
combine chicken and prawn)
2 dried shittake mushrooms
1/2 large carrot, cut into thin strips
1/4 cup sliced cabbage or other vegetables
1 bamboo shoot, sliced into thin strips
3 -4 tablespoons cornflour
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Oil for deep-frying

​

Instructions
Soak mushrooms into hot water for at least 15 minutes, squeeze dry
and cut into thin slices.
Finely mince chicken, fish or prawn, mix with mushroom slices and all
other vegetables, salt and pepper. Use cornflour as required to bind the
mixture.
Shape into logs and refrigerate for about 30 minutes
Make a batter with all purpose flour, salt, pepper, vegetable oil and
water. Heat oil for deep frying, dip logs one at a time into batter, remove
and drain. Be very careful not to overcook.
Dilute remaining batter with water to make a much thinner batter.
Repeat process by coating cooked logs into thinner batter and fry lightly
again. Remove from oil, drain and allow to cook.
Slice and serve with chilli sauce.

​

 

Mauritian Chicken Curry
 

Cooking Time: 60 Minutes. Makes 6 Servings

Ingredients
2 kg chicken pieces
A splash of vegetable oil
1 1/2 chopped tomatoes
10 curry leaves
1 large golden shallot
1 green chilli
1 teaspoon crushed fresh ginger
1 teaspoon crushed fresh garlic
2-3 tablespoons Mauritian Curry Powder
3 potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces
1 teaspoon garam masala
salt to taste
Coriander leaves to garnish

Instructions
Make a paste with the Mauritian curry powder and some water. Allow to
sit while preparing the other ingredients. Combine chicken pieces with
1/2 of the ginger, half of the garlic and a little salt. Allow to marinate for
at least 15 minutes.
Slice golden shallot and green chillies.
Heat oil over medium heat, and add shallots. When they turn
translucent, add ginger, garlic, curry leaves and stir for a few minutes.
Add chicken pieces and stir until lightly browned and covered with the
shallot mixture.
Add tomato and salt to taste and allow to cook for 5 minutes. Add curry
powder and about 400 ml of water. Bring to a simmer and add potato
pieces. Lower heat.
Simmer, stirring occasionally until chicken and potatoes are cooked
through. Turn off stove and stir in garam masala. Garnish with coriander
leaves.

Prawns a la Sauce Rouge

​

Ingredients

1 kg raw prawns, shells removed and set aside
1 golden shallot, sliced
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
6 large tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
a splash of rum or vodka
1 green chilli, sliced
5 sprigs thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon plain flour
500 ml milk
1 tablespoon rice bran oil or any good cooking oil
200g Gruyere Cheese, finely grated
100g breadcrumbs

 

Instructions

​

Heat oil in a heavy pan, saute shallot until soft and translucent. Add
chilli, 3 sprigs of thyme, ginger and half of the garlic, cook, stirring for
about 1 minute.
Add prawn shells, tomatoes and tomato paste, salt and pepper to
taste, stir well and add 120 ml of water. Cover and allow to cook for
about 10 minutes. Remove prawn shells and add prawns. Stir well and
cook for about 2 minutes.
Place prawns and the red sauce in a baking dish, spread out to cover
the bottom.
In a clean pan, melt butter, saute remaining thyme and garlic. Add
flour and cook, stirring for about 5 minutes. Add milk and continue to
cook, stirring until mixture thickens and there are no lumps. Stir in half of
the cheese and stir until melted.
Allow cheese sauce to cool and then spread over prawns.

Combine remaining cheese and breadcrumbs and sprinkle over cheese
sauce. Bake at 170C until cheese turns golden.

​

 

Mauritian Parathas

 

Ingredients
1 kg all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling.
4 tablespoons ghee or oil, plus more for cooking
1 teaspoon salt
Hot Water (boiling water if using a stand mixer)

​

Instructions

​

Place flour in a large bowl. Add salt and stir well. Add 2 tablespoons
ghee or oil. Rub ghee or oil into flour mixture.
Add 400 ml hot water to the flour mixture. Use a spoon to combine
the mixture, then use your hands or an electric mixer fitted with a dough
hook to form dough and knead until smooth.
Allow dough to rest for 2 hours or up to overnight.
Divide dough into lemon sized balls, roll each ball into a thin circle
and try to stretch the dough as thin as possible. Spread a thin layer of
ghee or oil onto the surface of the flattened dough and then fold it as
shown.
Allow folded dough to rest for a few minutes (5 to 10 minutes) and
then roll out into a flatbread about 1/4 cm thick.
Put a little ghee on a tawa, skillet or griddle and heat to medium heat.
Place one of the faratas on the pan or griddle and allow to start cooking.
When small bubbles form, check the bottom. If it is starting to brown,
turn it over and press down on it periodically to help the farata puff up
properly. The more air bubbles, the better (think of puff pastry). When
both sides are golden brown and seem to be cooked through, place
farata on plate and repeat the process with the remaining pieces of
folded dough.

Note: flour varies from country to country and from season to season
depending on the humidity and other factors. You may need to use
slightly more or less water depending on the flour available to you.

​

 

Coconut Crème Caramel
Cooking time 30 minutes, makes 12 servings. Best if prepared a day
ahead

​

Custard:
500 ml coconut milk
500 ml full cream milk
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
6 whole eggs
6 egg yolks
110 g sugar

Caramel:
225 g sugar
125 ml water

​

Instructions

​

Preheat the oven to 190 C. Combine, milk, coconut milk, sugar and
vanilla seeds in a small saucepan and heat gently. Cool.
While the coconut mixture is cooling, in a heavy pan, bring the water
and sugar to a boil. Do not stir after mixture begins to simmer, swirl
occasionally and heat until mixture is a deep caramel colour. Remove
the pan from the heat and coat the bottom of the moulds with the
caramel.

Mix the eggs and egg yolks in a bowl and slowly add the milk mixture.
Strain and pour into moulds. Place the moulds in a baking tin and fill the
baking tin with hot water halfway up the sides of the moulds. Bake until
set, about 25-30 minutes, depending on the size of the moulds. Allow to
cool, then refrigerate.

Before serving, fill a bowl with boiling water and place each mould in
the boiling water for about 15 seconds. Run a sharp knife along the
inside on each mould and slowly invert onto a plate.