Chicken is known for its tender and juicy meat. Chicken can also be served in different flavours and colours. In Mauritius, chicken is most often served with masala (curry powder) with or without chilli.
The traditional blend of homemade ground spices is the secret to the uniqueness of this dish. It delights your taste buds with different flavours and textures that might be unknown to you until you taste the dish. In addition, you can also add peas for extra flavour. You can enjoy it with a lot of sauce or less, to better appreciate the ingredients.
In Mauritius, this type of curry is traditionally served with rice, lentils and achards. However, the dish can be accompanied by many other local specialities such as dholl puri, roti, farata, bread or rice. It is traditionally served with a salad of lettuce, cucumber and carrots. Did you say salad? Try preparing a chicken curry, beetroot salad, potato salad and eggs served with spaghetti… A treat! In some Mauritian families, they also like to have lentil soup as a side dish to the chicken curry. As a drink, you can enjoy a fruity rosé to accompany this dish.
If you cannot get hold of Creole "curry" powder (if you have not been to Mauritius for a while), you can use curry powder or make your own mixture. You will need turmeric powder, coriander powder, chilli powder, cinnamon powder, ground cumin, ground fenugreek and ground cardamom.
Ingredients :
1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
5 chicken curry leaves
1 small onion, sliced
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 of chopped onions
3 tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons curry powder
3 tablespoons oil
Water
Cut the chicken into equal pieces and wash thoroughly.
Heat the pan you will use to prepare the curry with a tablespoon of oil and add the chicken.
Cook for 3-5 minutes, remove to set aside.
In the same pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil.
Add the chopped onion, thyme, chicken curry leaves and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add the curry powder and add a little water to form a paste.
Add the ginger and garlic paste and a little water, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
Put in the chicken and potatoes, stir well, cover and cook until half done.
Add the chopped tomatoes, salt and a little water if necessary.
Cover and cook until the chicken, potatoes and tomatoes are fully cooked (check at different intervals).
Once the chicken is cooked, check the consistency before turning off the heat and garnish with coriander leaves and onion.
If you wish, you can add some shrimp to the second step to give the dish more flavour!