Traditional Mauritian Food – An Amazing Mauritian Curry Recipe

Looking for cooking lessons in Mauritius? So were we. Watch and learn how to cook traditional Mauritian food with this delicious Mauritian curry recipe. Video and recipe included!

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On our relaxing vacation in Mauritius, we were seeking out the best local food. One thing we learned, at the Aapravasi Ghat, is that the food in Mauritius is very Indian based, with curries and dhal and rice.

We love the curries, the spices, the tropical fruits, all of it. We wanted to bring a recipe home to add to our repertoire. Luckily our hotel, the incredible beachside Recif Attitude, was offering this cooking lesson for free. We couldn’t wait to learn how to make traditional Mauritian chicken curry, then gobble it up for lunch before another swim.

In this Mauritian food guide, you will learn about:

• Dholl Puri
• Mine Frites
• Biryani
• Alouda
• Mauritian Rum
• Mauritian Chicken Curry

Jump directly to the Mauritian Curry recipe.

Traditional Mauritian Food

It’s all about the spice in traditional Mauritian food! Walking through the market in Port Louis, we noticed many spice vendors and piles of chiles. We also know that vanilla is grown on the island along with sugar cane, pineapples, and coconuts. It all sounds very tropical and delicious, doesn’t it? We couldn’t wait to try all of this delicious food in Mauritius.

Traditional Mauritian Food and Dishes Include: 

• Dholl Puri
• Mine Frites
• Seafood
• Curries
• Biryani

Dholl Puri – A Traditional Mauritian Food

Not sure what to eat in Mauritius? Then try this! It’s a Mauritian snack food, derived from paratha in India. A flatbread spread with yellow beans and the Mauritian chili sauce, called mazavaroo. You can usually find them in markets and town squares. This stall is located in the Port Louis Central Market. The dholl puri costs about 80 US cents, so it’s cheap and tasty.

Mine Frites

Living in central Europe, I expected this to be some type of potatoes or French fries. Boy, was I wrong. Derived from the Chinese immigrants, it’s a fried noodle with cabbage, onion, and in this case chicken. This dish can be found all over the island, but the best one we found was near Riambel Public Beach in the south.

Seafood

It stands to reason that seafood is a staple of the island. While we were there, we got our fill of fish, mussels, and shrimp. It was always on the spicy side, but we loved every bite.

Biryani

Also derived from India, we were served biryani mostly as a side dish in many of the restaurants we tried. Who doesn’t love a spicy rice?

Alouda

A milky drink with tapioca balls, this became our favorite snack and drink of the trip. Various flavors are on offer. We tried almond, strawberry, and my favorite vanilla. It’s made fresh and served cold, so it’s welcome on a hot Mauritian day.

We found stands all over the island, and I don’t think we passed even one without stopping. It’s amazing, almost addictive.

Mauritius Food Products:

• cane sugar and rum
• vanilla
• pineapples
• coconuts

Vanilla

As vanilla is grown on the island, we found a lot of offerings that featured this prized product. Pictured above is a crème brulée, and we’ve also tried vanilla alouda and vanilla tea. 

Mauritian Rum

With plenty of sugar cane grown all over the island, rum is a major product. We visited the Rhumerie de Chamarel just to taste their rum varieties. I never knew there were so many. My favorite was the cinnamon rum, which really accentuated that tropical, spice island feel; it was truly Mauritian.

Pineapples

A smaller and sweeter variety of pineapple found in most parts of the world, the Victoria, or Queen, pineapples are found for sale all over the island. We came upon this pile in the charming Mahebourg Central Market. How many pineapples can you eat while you are on a tropical island vacation? My experience? A lot!

Coconuts

Palm trees and beaches…that means coconuts. Another ubiquitous fruit, it will refresh you on the hottest of days. I loved this fresh fruit stand we found right on the Port Louis boardwalk. 

Traditional Mauritian Food – Mauritian Curry Recipe

Mauritian curries, although a direct descendent from India, have their own unique taste. We learned that there was more garlic and maybe less tomatoes in a traditional Mauritian curry recipe. 

We never pass up an opportunity for a cooking lesson, so we signed up immediately with the front desk for the Mauritian curry lesson. It was taught by Kavita, who we had gotten to know from her amazing Creole omelettes we ordered each morning. The omelettes again used the Mauritian yumminess called mazavaroo, making them just spicy enough to wake us up.

Kavita’s lesson moved quickly. I don’t think we were there more than 30 minutes. She and her staff had already done the mise en place with all of the ingredients as well as setting up the woks and burners, so all we had to do is dump the ingredients into the woks at the right time, stir, and eat!

It was truly an amazing experience that was easily one of the best things to do in Mauritius.

Conclusion

I don’t know about you but I now want to run into my kitchen and whip up this delicious Mauritian curry recipe for myself! This way, I can enjoy some traditional Mauritian food in my very own home. So, use this world food guide to help you travel to one of my favorite destinations any time you like.

Save This Delicious Traditional Mauritian Chicken Curry Recipe For Later!

Author Bio: Jim Vail, is a travel, food, and video creator and a perpetual traveler who has been travel writing for over 15 years. For many years he lived overseas in Germany, Japan, Turkey, South Korea, and the Netherlands, and he’s visited over 90 countries.