Prawn Rougaille

Mauritius is a nation of beautiful tropical islands off the eastern coast of Africa, and it’s no surprise that seafood is dominant in its food culture. As I’ve said before, a nation’s cuisine is a reflection of that nation, particularly its history and culture. In the early days of sea-bound trade, Mauritius became a location along the spice trade between Europe, India and south-East Asia. It was first settled by the Dutch, but was abandoned and came into the hands of the French, both major influences in Mauritian cuisine. After the defeat of Napoleon, the British became the next imperialist power to rule over Mauritius and its people until its independence in 1968. So, like many countries and strategic locations, such as South Africa, India, Sicily and Singapore, a variety of cultures have had their impact upon Mauritius and its own cultural development.

This recipe, Prawn Rougaille, is a reflection of those influences and how they have shaped the cuisine of Mauritius. Within this dish are elements from French, Arabian, Indian and Asian flavours. The dish is very spicy, and it gains its heat from the emergence of chilli in Asian cuisine, brought back by the ships along the spice trading route. The use of coriander in the dish, also a key ingredient in south-east Asian cooking, provides a great balance to the heat from the chillies in the dish, and allows the tender prawns to provide a source of heat, but not overbearing. India, one of the major stops along the spice trade, also exhibits elements of its cuisine in the dish and Mauritian cuisine in general, as the rougaille is served with basmati rice to absorb the sauce and condiment the spicy prawns. Cumin, one of the most widely used spices in Middle Eastern cuisine, is used to provide an earthy depth of flavour to the dish. Finally, French influences abound in the dish, most obviously exhibited by the name of the recipe. Typical ingredients in French cooking such as garlic, parsley, thyme, extra virgin olive oil and white wine are key elements in the rougaille, and provide the real flavours to the dish.

As can be seen, this recipe, a reflection of Mauritius, is a melting pot of cultures coming together to form a unique and delicious form of cuisine. This dish is also an example of why I love cooking and why I’m looking forward to cooking and tasting food from every country and culture in the world. Second only to travelling there, it is perhaps the best way to experience and understand a culture, as food plays a central role throughout every culture in the world, and our passions, beliefs and influences create our cuisine. As for the recipe itself, the one thing I didn’t follow was the instruction to keep the heads of the prawns on. I’m sorry, but that just didn’t sit well with me, as I’m used to discarding the disgusting heads when I peel and de-vein prawns. I must admit that one thing that did surprise me about this dish is how spice it is. I’m not sure why it was so spicy, as I have a high tolerance for spice and, to be perfectly honest, 2 chillies is not a huge amount compared to other dishes that I’ve cooked and found much less spicy. Perhaps I actually added more but can’t remember it, but, although I loved the dish, I actually had to eat it in small spurts because the heat from the chilli was almost overbearing. For those that don’t like spicy foods, you could still use the red chillies but remove the seeds from them, as the seeds provide the real heat. Other than that, the elements of the dish came together beautifully. The French elements came together with the cumin and the rice wonderfully, and show that fusion of different cuisines can achieve delicious results.

Recipe (serves 4):

1kg king prawns, peeled (heads & tails left on)

½kg tomatoes, peeled & chopped

2 red or green chillies, finely chopped

1 tbs garlic, finely diced

½ bunch parsley, finely chopped

2 sprigs of thyme

1 tbs ground cumin

1 tsp white pepper

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

1 Spanish onion, diced

½ cup white wine

1 tsp salt

1 tsp paprika

½ bunch coriander, chopped

In a frying pan, heat the oil over a medium heat and add the onions and half of the garlic, cooking until golden. Pour in half the wine to soften the onions.

Add the tomatoes and cook for a few minutes over a high heat until the liquid has reduced.

Stir in the salt, pepper, paprika, cumin and a drizzle of olive oil. Add the thyme, parsley and chillies and reduce to a simmer.

In a separate frying pan, fry the remaining garlic in some olive oil. Add the prawns, season with pepper and cook for 2 mins. Pour in the remaining wine to deglaze the pan.

Transfer the prawns to the Rougaille and stir through the coriander. Serve with basmati rice.

Cuisine: Mauritian

Source: www.sbs.com.au  

Rating: Four stars