We had a big gathering with the other Mauritians in Shanghai at the Shanghai Second Medical University a few days before I went to Xiamen. It was fun. :D

It’s hard to say what’s really Mauritian cuisine because of the ethnic diversity of the people of Mauritius.
I did some research to try to explain what Mauritian cuisine is like and also its history.

Quoted from The Republic of Mauritius Web Portal,

Mauritius is a paradise for the senses, not only for the eyes with its beautiful landscape, but also for the palate. Gastronomes will find a variety of flavours and aromas inherited from the different migrations through its history. Culinary traditions from France, India, China and Africa, the best-known and appreciated cuisines in the world, have been passed on through generations. The story of a Mauritian starting the day with a continental breakfast, followed by an indian lunch and finishing off with a chinese dinner is a common cliché.

Along the years, each community has adapted and mixed each other’s cuisine to their liking, which has resulted in a Mauritian cuisine. This can be seen in the Creole cuisine which is a blend of different ingredients and savours. The ever-present creole “rougaille” is served with a number of “achards” (pickles) or dals and rice from Indian origin. There have also been some changes during the last twenty years with the arrival of some fast foods: burgers, pizza and chips.

Anyone visiting the island should try a pair of dholl puri with a large glass of “alouda” or tamarind juice to have a genuine taste of Mauritius.

———-
Sometimes, I feel like eating samoosas, chili cakes, roti, farata, dholl puris,halim, normal sui mai (also called sow mai in Mauritius. Those that I have eaten in Shanghai are filled with rice and meat… :eek: ) ,gateaux arouille, briyani, etc.. but since I’ve never been into cooking when I was in Mauritius, I never learned to cook those.
Fortunately, there are other Mauritians in Shanghai and they can cook!! hehe
I’m trying to learn from them now. :P

Making Samoosas (also written Samosas or Samoussa)
making samoosas

gram dholl or Dholl gram or Dhal gram or yellow split peas… used to make chili cakes (called gato pima in Mauritian Creole) and Dholl puris. Unfortunately, it is not available in Shanghai. Same for black or red lentils. :( Varun brought this packet from Mauritius.
dholl gram

Chili cakes (called gato pima in Mauritian Creole)
chili cakes

The guys learning how to make dholl puris
the guys making dholl puri
Click on the link below for more…
Warning: 13 more photos :wink:

Varun was telling me that he didn’t cook in Mauritius but he learned after he came to Shanghai. hmm… there’s still hope for me then. :P
Varun making the roti dough and Kenny & Yoshvin flipping the rotis.
varun,kenny,yoshvin

Making Roti and Paratha (also written as Parantha or Farata)
making roti and farata

How I eat roti or farata:
Put the rougaille, curry or other fillings inside and eat from one end to the other.
eating roti
Break off one big piece of roti or farata, dip it in the sauce or scoop the curry (etc..) and put on the piece of roti or farata, eat…. and break off another piece and so on…
eating roti

Corinne, Joanne and me
corinne,joanne,aline

Alouda, one of our local drinks.
Alouda

Alouda
I hate drinking plain milk or milk with tea but I love drinking Alouda. Alouda contains milk (in case you can’t tell from the photo).
Alouda can be found in almost all market places in Mauritius. It’s a special drink made with milk, water, crushed ice, vanilla essence, sugar, basil seeds and jelly (or agar agar strips) or just milk, sugar,syrup, jelly (or agar agar strips) and basil seeds. Sometimes even with a few delicious spoonfuls of ice cream. :)
I know that the Thai people have a drink similar to Alouda(similar because they also use basil seeds) except that no vanilla essence, syrup, milk or jelly is used.

Some of the ingredients we used that day to make the alouda:
Basil seeds (soaked in water)… We call basil seeds ‘top maria’ or ‘touk maria’ in Mauritian Creole. :laughing:
basil seeds soaked in water

Milk and Rose syrup
milk and rose syrup
Speaking of Basil seeds and syrup, are they sold in Shanghai? I still haven’t managed to find syrup here. I’m not talking about maple syrup. I’m looking for rose syrup, strawberry syrup, almond syrup, any fruit juice concentrates, etc . In Mauritius, we put around two spoonfuls of syrup in a glass,add cold water and drink it after stirring.

We also ate chicken wings. Yummy… :D
chicken

Wangye, Rosemary, Joanne
wangye,rosemary and joanne

Alex, Kharima
alex,kharima

Asif ,Gancho (two of my classmates) and Wangye (Shanghainese friend)
Apart from them, all the rest were Mauritians.
asif, gancho and wangye

I felt very full after eating 3 rotis but the guys ate more. :) The non-Mauritian friends seemed to like the food too.
hmmm… now I want to eat a good coconut chutney,Mine frire (referring to Mauritian fried noodles here), Briyani or halim. :mrgreen: I should stop thinking about food. :confusion: