Celebration Recipes

La Mousse Mauricien 50th Anniversary Special Recipe

​In honour of our beautiful island celebrating its 50th year of Indepence I made these pretty la mousse in the colours of our flag.  
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Gato Carre Rouge (Gato Francis)

​This is seen across pastry vendors across the country - a bring red cube covered in coconut and topped with a dollop of whipped cream. It must be seen as the Mauritian Lamington as it is so similar to the Australian version which is usually coated in chocolate. It has a distinct texture which is created once the cake has been soaked and covered in coconut. Mauritians love their afternoon tea and I’ve made this recipe as simple as possible to achieve. 
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Poudine Vermicelle

​This used to be my after school snack that mum used to make for us before being sent to our rooms to do our homework! In Mauritius this is eaten for breakfast or as an afternoon treat with a hot cup of vanilla tea. I’ve made this recipe dairy free by taking out the butter and milk traditionally used and added more flavours and nuts that I think make this taste even more special. 
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Sticky Apple & Ginger Pudding

​This sticky apple and ginger pudding is the perfect alternative to the classic sticky toffee pudding with sharp apple tones with molasses running through it with a perfect combination of warm spicy ginger. It must be served with cream or custard no short cuts here ! 
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Coconut & Lime Tart

​A simple tart to make with a shortcut of pre bought pastry making it super quick with a wow factor.  Beautiful crisp lime against mellow coconut make this the perfect flavour pairing, great for afternoon tea or dinner party dessert. 
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Coconut Snow Cake

​This “snow” cake is the perfect alternative winters cake packed full of the tropical flavours of Mauritius with coconut and vanilla. Covered with fresh coconut and cream this cake is a real showstopper. 
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Shelina’s Simple Mango Tarts

​These beauties can be knocked up in record timing using a handful of ingredients. They deliver the wow factor as they glisten in all their mango glory. The perfect afternoon tea snack or dinner party dessert.  
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Tilapia & Aubergine Coconut Curry

​As featured in waitrose:  Mauritius owes it’s culinary traditions to history of passing trade including Arabs, Dutch, Portuguese, French and Indian. The island tempered native Indian curries making them milder and lighter in flavour.  This dish is very evocative for me with the caramel scent of aubergine frying, clanking of pots and pans, the fragrance of mums kitchen.  
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Long & Lazy 1 Pot Chilli

This one-pot long and lazy chilli is a great weekend dish when you don’t want to spend hours over the stove, yet want a great result. Using red onions pickled in lime juice alongside home baked spicy nachos makes this a winning chilli! 
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Curried Prawns with Cucumber Relish

​I just love this combination of fiery prawns with a soothing cucumber relish, so easy to put together and perfect for entertaining friends in the summer months. As featured in Sainsbury’s magazine. 
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Cari Mutton (Mauritian Mutton Curry)

​Mutton is a wonderfully rich meat that can handle lots of chilli and spice so this is the perfect for it. This is the dish that I cooked in the final of MasterChef and I still can’t believe that one of my family’s classic curries would be enough to secure me the title! It tastes even better the next day as all the spices harmonise and the flavours go deep into the meat.  Extract from my first cook book ‘Sunshine on a Plate’ 
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Banana Lattice

​This is a great way to use up those bananas that are turning black in the fruit bowl. It’s an easy dessert that uses ready made pastry to turn ageing fruit into something very delicious. Recipe extracted from my first book ‘Sunshine on a Plate’
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Chicken and Prawn Magic Bowl

The ‘magic bowl’ a typical Chinese Mauritian dish (Sino-Mauritian) which gets me every time.  As featured on The Huffington Post
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Banana, Walnut & Ginger Cake

At the end of the week I always end up with a umber of nearly off bananas! I decided to add some spice and turn it into something really delicious.
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Poached pears with spiced cream

A stylish treat for a delicious dessert option
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Fresh Summer Lobster Salad

This crisp, summery salad with fresh lobster makes a delicious summer lunch or posh picnic.
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Photo: Poisson Cru (Tahitian Ceviche)

Poisson Cru (Tahitian Ceviche)

​The dish is sweet, exotic and refreshing. A twist on a classic ceviche with the addition of coconut milk to add that extra layer of tropical flavour. Perfect for summer and easy to make for entertaining friends.
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Photo: Spiced Slaw

Spiced Slaw

This is perfect to serve on hot balmy nights alongside a simple roast chicken or pan seared pork chops
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5 Star Butterbean Tagine

A vegetarian butter bean feast full of Moroccan-influenced flavours and will go down a storm with all the family.
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Lychee Panna Cotta with Passion Fruit Jelly

The sweetness of the lychees mixed with the tropical tartness of the pomegranate makes you dream of tropical islands…
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Lime Posset

This recipe is very refreshing and zesty, it’s so easy to make and perfect for a dinner party as you can make it the day before.
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Chai Tiramisu with Vanilla & Pistachio

This dessert is perfect for celebrations and for special occasions. 
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White Chocolate & Cardamom Cookies

This is a Mauritian inspired recipe. These cookies are deliciously sweet as they use Billington’s sugar.
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Hot & Spicy Chicken Wings

What’s not to love - by far my favourite aperitivo snack with cold beer !
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Photo: Son-in-law Eggs

Son-in-law Eggs

A simple but impressive egg dish which you can serve as a starter or with rice as part of a main
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Prawn and Mango Ceviche

The perfect al fresco starter, easy but impressive particularly for dinner parties    
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Pepper Pot Soup

This dish is usually made using offcuts of beef, usually beef shin, and other meats can be used, but I think at this time of the year, we can’t get enough flavour from the wonderful root vegetables in season, so I tend not to use meat in this recipe.
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Almond & Cinnamon Cake

This deliciously moist cake is gluten and lactose free!​
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Saffron and Cumin Rice

This a lovely accompaniment to the ‘King Prawn Rougaille’. A subtly spiced and warming rice dish.
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Chicken and Vermicelli Bhaja

These cute little bhajis are perfect for parties and use rice noodles and chicken as a good alternative to onion.
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Sticky Rice with Mango, Papaya and Lime

These sweet amuse-bouche are perfect in-between courses, or at the of end a Thai meal. This was completely inspired by my wonderful trip to Thailand.
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Jerk Seasoning (Fish & Meat)

This is such a versatile seasoning and can be made in advance and kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
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Mauritian Octopus Salad

This is colourful salad bursting with flavours: sweet and sour, salty and aromatic. Truly a more-ish and vibrant dish.
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Chilli Cakes

These deliciously spicy gateau piment are best served hot and are perfect with a crisp beer like Pheonix. If you can’t get hold of this beer then it would work equally well with something like Asahi. Bon Appetit!
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The Sunshine Diet is packed full of exotic recipes that are simple to create and are packed full of flavour and fragrance.

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