Here's a Mauritian-style recipe. The making of Mazavaroo (chilli paste) is an art in Mauritius. Mazavaroo is ranked among the top 10 accompaniments of Mauritians. If you are a fan of chilli, the mazavaroo is for you! It can be vegan, or mixed with green or dried goats. For taste and flavour, the mazavaroo is best if it is crushed on the famous "curry rock".
To prepare and preserve the mazavaroo without going to Mauritius
You will need:
- 200g of fresh chillies, some red, some green
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 2 or 3 stringers
- 5g coarse salt
- 60ml of canola, peanut or sunflower oil
- Optional extras:
- Half teaspoon of freshly ground cinnamon
- Half teaspoon of ground turmeric
- Quarter ground coffee spoon (cumin)
The preparation of Mazavaroo pepper
You can add a tiny spoonful of this dough to any pasta dish, cheese sandwich or grilled fish. Instead of Tabasco, add some of your own Mazavaroo instead.
- Buy - or better yet, choose from your garden - some nice red and green chillies. Remove the stems and wash.
- Crush and peel fresh garlic.
- Remove and collect the lime zest (replace with lemons if you prefer).
- The high-speed method is to use a food processor, but the most rewarding way to do this is in a mortar with a pestle. Place the peppers, garlic, vegetable oil and coarse salt in the mortar and grind them into a paste. The coarse salt helps the maceration.
- Heat the oil of your choice (but not the olive oil) in a saucepan and add the contents of the mortar (or food processor). Sauté the dough over low heat for two minutes. Add the cinnamon and turmeric and stir into the hot mixture for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat, add the zest and leave the hot dough to rest for a few minutes.
To preserve your mazavaroo, sterilize your containers in the oven. Once cooled, pour in the mixture, adding a 5 ml layer of vegetable oil to finish. Once the bottle is open, keep it in the refrigerator. Be warned: you'll need to refill sooner than you think!
Accompanied by dumpling broth.... Just thinking about it makes your mouth water!
