What was the occasion?
I live with my husband in Croydon and our house is halfway between our parents' houses, so everyone congregates here because they know that we'll always make good things to eat. It was a family affair – just catching up and enjoying being together.
What did you have to eat?
We had fish vindaye, a traditional Mauritian dish cooked and pickled in turmeric-infused oil and spices, and served cold. My dad made his very popular fried chicken and I made a chicken daube and a goat curry, using Mauritian spices (cinnamon, mixed spice, Mauritian curry powder and curry leaves). We also had pilau rice flavoured with cinnamon sticks, cardamon pods and fresh coriander, achar – which is like a vegetable relish – coconut chutney and potato salad.
For dessert, I made caramelised rum bananas flambeed on the stove – in Mauritius we have to have a bit of rum. I served the bananas with homemade coconut ice-cream – always a good combination. We also had sweet potato cakes and a Filipino fruit salad made by my mother-in-law with condensed milk, cream and lots of fruits I'd never heard of. Apart from the fruit salad, all of these are authentic Mauritian dishes that I've learned from my parents.
What did you have to drink?
After the meal we all had Mauritian chai made with vanilla tea from the Bois Chéri plantation. The tea is gently boiled in a pan with water, milk and caradamom pods. It goes really well with the sweet potato cakes.
Did it take long to prepare?
I started the night before by making the vindaye, the achar and the goat curry. Curry always tastes better the next day once the flavours have soaked in. In the morning, I cooked the daube and prepared the rice and dessert.
What did you talk about?
My mum and mother-in-law chatted for hours, we played Scrabble and drank chai ...Once the food was on the table, everyone relaxed and kicked back on the sofa.
Chicken daube
This is a traditional Mauritian dish, consisting of a tomato-based stew with fresh coriander and red chilli. I added peas to give it a bit of colour.
Serves 4-6
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, sliced
1 tbsp garlic paste
1 tbsp ginger paste
3-4 curry leaves
1 tsp cumin powder
1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
1 cinnamon stick (optional)
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 red chilli, sliced lengthwise
A pinch of salt
250g chopped tomatoes
2 medium-size potatoes, quartered
150g peas
2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
1 Heat the oil in a large pan, fry the onion for a few minutes, then add the garlic and ginger. Stir for a minute then add the curry leaves and cumin.
2 Fry for another 2 minutes before adding the chicken, cinnamon (if using), thyme, chilli and a little salt.
3 Allow to cook for about 15 minutes before adding the tomatoes and potatoes. If the sauce begins to dry out, add some water to loosen the sauce.
4 Simmer on a low heat until the chicken is done and the potatoes are cooked (about 25-30 minutes). Add the peas towards the end of cooking and adjust the seasoning.
5 Garnish with the coriander.
Achar
This is a traditional Mauritian vegetable garnish. You'll have a lot left over but it keeps well in the fridge for a week or so.
Makes a good-sized jarful
250g white cabbage, shredded
250g carrots, julienned
250g green beans, topped and tailed, stringed and cut in half lengthwise
80ml sunflower oil
2 tbsp turmeric powder
2 tsp black mustard seeds, crushed coarsely
2 small onions, cut into thick wedges
4 big green bird's eye chillies, cut lengthwise as above
A pinch of salt
1 Place the cabbage, carrots and beans into a pan of boiling water and blanche for 2 minutes. Drain then refresh under cold water before squeezing out all the liquid and setting aside.
2 Heat the oil in a pan and add the turmeric, mustard seeds, onions and the chillies. Stir until the fragrance starts to release.
3 Turn off the heat, add the vegetables to the pan. Mix well and salt to taste.
4 Allow to cool before transferring to a glass jar.
Sweet potato cakes
These are traditional tea cakes you have in Mauritius, made from a sweet potato and flour pastry, filled with freshly grated coconut, sugar and vanilla, and fried and served warm. All the sugar and the coconut melt together inside – it's delicious with warm chai.
Makes 12
Flesh of 1 medium coconut, grated
1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped
150g sugar
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 tbsp fennel seeds
100g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
Vegetable oil for deep frying
1 Combine the coconut, vanilla seeds and sugar and set to one side.
2 Boil the sweet potatoes until soft (about 15 minutes), then drain and leave them to dry. Once dry, mash them with a fork in a bowl. Add the fennel seeds and mix well.
3 Add the flour slowly to the mash, mixing well so that you obtain a dough that is firm enough to roll out with a rolling pin. Dust with extra flour if necessary to stop the dough sticking.
4 Divide the dough into 12 equal-size balls, then flatten each one to ½cm thickness. Place roughly 1 tsp of the coconut filling in each of these and fold each cake over into a semicircle. Seal the edges with the back of a fork.
5 Deep fry, in batches if required, over a medium heat until deep golden brown (about 3 minutes). Place on kitchen towel, then enjoy while still warm. The cakes will keep for a few days in an airtight container.
Selina Periampillai runs the Yummy Choo Eats supper club
Win a cookbook and ingredient set
For each get-together we feature, the host will receive a choice of cookbook sets from SousChef.co.uk – the online destination for adventurous cooks. Each set includes an inspiring cookbook and selection of world ingredients to start cooking straight away.
