In the Kitchen with Beachcomber

In the middle of the Indian Ocean, you will find the island of Mauritius where you will discover culinary secrets and ancient traditions sourced from around the world. The chefs of Beachcomber Hotels will reveal authentic Mauritian recipes and cooking techniques while taking you on a culinary tour around the world. Originating from Italy, France, Thailand, India and of course Mauritius, they will initiate you into the creation of dishes that bring together oriental, occidental and Mediterranean flavours. You will be able to use our recipes to reinvent a cocktail experience, spice up a romantic dinner for two or even add some colour to the traditional picnic with friends. Follow us, try out our recipes and send us your suggestions. We would be more than happy to receive photos of the recipes you have tried from our blog.

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Chicken curry with coconut milk

Le Victoria’s Executive Chef Nived Puresh shares with you a delicious recipe that blends authentic Indian spices and exotic Creole flavours. Ingredients (serves 4) •    1,25 Kg of chicken breasts diced into 3 cm pieces •    25 g of ginger •    25 g of garlic •    125 g of coconut milk •    100 g of onions •    35 g of fresh coriander •    5 curry leaves •    30 g of thyme •    250 g of diced tomatoes •    5 g of methi (Indian spice also known as fenugreek) •    150 ml of oil •    200 g of curry powder •    50 g of turmeric powder •    100 ml of water •    Salt & pepper Preparation Heat the oil. Add the fenugreek, curry leaves and thyme. Cook slowly. Add the garlic, ginger and onions. Cook until golden brown. Add the diced tomatoes and cook until tender. Add the curry powder diluted in water beforehand and cook for 5 minutes. Add the coconut milk, bring to a boil and then lower heat to cook slowly. Season the diced chicken with the salt, pepper and turmeric powder. Pan-fry the chicken until golden brown and add to the sauce. Cook slowly until the sauce reduces. Serve with steamed rice topped with coriander leaves and a fresh tomato chutney.

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Lamb rack with Dijon mustard and cilantro marinade

This week, Nived Puresh, Executive Chef at Le Victoria Hotel, presents us with a simple French recipe. Lamb is usually a quick and easy meat to cook and should be served slightly pink to preserve its tenderness!

  Here are the ingredients (serves 4)

2 kg rack of lamb

¼ cup of chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Zest of ½ lemon

2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 cloves of garlic (roasted)

1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon of  black pepper

1 tablespoon saffron

To prepare

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly for the marinade. Marinate the lamb for 4 to 6 hours (before going to work is a good idea). If possible, turn over the lamb (once or twice) whilst it is marinating. Grill for 2 minutes on both sides. You can serve this dish with rice or a salad of your choice.

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Red snapper on a skewer with ginger and local rum marinade

Nived Puresh, the Executive Chef of Le Victoria Hotel, presents this week’s recipe. A simple recipe using fish and a mix of exotic flavours. Something tasty to liven up your winter evenings!

  Here are the ingredients (Serves 4)

2 fillets of Red Snapper (1kg) (cut into cubes)

1/2 cup of pineapple juice

1/3 cup of rum

1/4 cup of soy sauce

2 tablespoons of brown sugar

1 tablespoon of grated ginger

2 cloves of garlic (minced)

1/2 teaspoon of black pepper flakes (crushed)

To prepare

Combine all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Pour the marinade over the fish fillets and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 3 – 6 hours. Skewer the fish alternately with the sliced onions. Once the skewers are ready, cook the grill (or BBQ) for 7 – 8 minutes.

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Roasted giant prawns with mango puree and exotic fruit salsa

This week the Executive Chef at Dinarobin Hotel Golf & Spa, Didier Jacob, presents a fresh and fruity recipe that will delight the taste buds. Serves 4 For the prawns (2 prawns per person): ½ tsp. pepper 100 ml white wine 2 tbsp. lemon juice 1 tsp. chopped parsley 100 ml peach juice  ½ tsp. garlic  ¼ of a red chilli  Wash and clean the giant prawns and marinate for 30 minutes. Add a drop of oil to a hot pan and add the prawns. Let the prawns cook for one minute then put in the oven at 180°c for six minutes. Mango puree: 500 g mango flesh 1 red chilli 10 g ginger 50 g sugar 1 star anise 1 medium red onion Put a drop of olive oil in a pan and sauté the mango until lightly golden. Add the remaining ingredients and cook for 40 minutes on very low heat. Keep turning from time to time. Once cooked, pass through a blender to obtain a creamy consistency. Fruit salsa: 50 g mango 50 g pineapple 40 g kiwi 40 g watermelon 10 clams (cooked) 20 g red onion ½ chilli 1 tbs. chopped coriander Salt & pepper ½ tbs. sugar Olive oil Wash and cut all the fruit in small brunoises (small cubes) and mix with the remaining ingredients.   Spread the puree in the centre of the plate and delicately place the giant prawn on top. Scatter the fruit salsa artistically around the plate and enjoy! 

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Roasted Australian lamb rack with almond puree and seasonal vegetables

To get off to a fresh start this year, Didier Jacob, Executive Chef at Dinarobin Hotel Golf & Spa, presents us with a delicious yet healthy recipe, using lamb and seasonal vegetables.

For the lamb: Prepare the sauce and marinate the lamb one day in advance 170 ml Phoenix beer (or other blond beer) ½ red onion 1 tbsp thyme 1 tbsp Lea & Perrins sauce ½ tbsp black pepper 1 kg lamb rack Preheat the oven at 190°c and roast the lamb to your taste. Almond puree: 300 g fresh or dried almond 100 g butter 600 ml milk 200 ml cream   Cook the almonds in the milk until soft. Add all remaining ingredients, cook for 2 minutes and blend in a mixer. Seasonal vegetables of your choice: Blanch in salted, boiling water for 30 seconds. Then sauté all your vegetables with some garlic, thyme and finely chopped red onion. Season to taste. Mint coulis: 200 g mint 1 tsp honey ½  tsp ginger ½ tsp mascarpone Blanch the mint leaves for one minute and leave to cool down. Remove the excess water and pour into the blender. Add all the other ingredients and blend to obtain the coulis. Place the lamb in the centre of your plate and, using the other ingredients, have fun creating a presentation of a master chef!

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Pawpaw pickled in red wine and spices, lemon espuma and Mauritian vanilla ice cream

For this recipe, Jean Christophe Basseau, Executive Chef at Paradis Hotel & Golf Club, puts the delicious pawpaw in the lime light! This creative dessert will delight the taste buds of friends and family after any meal.

Here's everything you need for the recipe (for 4 people):

Pawpaw with red wine   2kg pawpaw (solo) 400g sugar 600ml water 800ml red wine 1 star anise 1 vanilla pod   Lemon espuma   500ml cooking cream 200ml milk 2 pieces lemon peel Juice of one lemon citron 100g sugar   Vanilla ice cream   1l milk 500ml cooking cream 300g sugar 4 vanilla pods 15 egg yolks 10g ice cream stabilizer

To prepare   Pawpaw with red wine: Peel the pawpaw and cut into quarters, boil the red wine with the other ingredients for 10 minutes. Pour the hot wine over the pawpaw and leave pickle for 12 hours. The espuma: Boil the cream, milk and other ingredients (at a temperature of 85°C). Let the mixture cool for six hours, then pass through a fine sieve and pour into a siphon (with two cartridges). The vanilla ice cream: Boil the milk, cream, half the sugar and the vanilla. In a bowl, blanch the egg yolks and half the sugar and use the same cooking method as custard (up to 83°C heat). Add the stabilizer and let stand overnight before churning. To serve: Place two quarters of pawpaw onto the plate and add a little red wine juice. Shake the siphon before adding the espuma beside the pawpaw. To finish off the presentation, place a scoop of vanilla ice cream decorated with a crunchy biscuit on top... enjoy!

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Crab and shellfish salad

The recipe of the week is by Jean-Christophe Basseau, Executive Chef at Paradis Hotel & Golf Club. This creation, perfect for a starter or a salad at lunch, will please your guests with its fresh taste straight from the ocean! 

Ingredients (serves 10) 800 gm crabmeat 1 kg cockles 1 kg of mussels 10 pcs whelk 30 pcs scallops 4 cl white wine 4 gm thyme 4 gm parsley 180 gm onion 22 gm ginger 4 pcs tomatoes 4 gm coriander 1 pickled lime 6 gm chives 200 gm crustacean coulis 1 pc lime 9 cl olive oil

To prepare: Sweat the cockles and scallops separately in 3cl olive oil with thyme and 4 gm of ginger on high heat and pour 2cl white wine. Set aside the juice obtained from the shellfish. For the dressing: Add the juice and zest of one lime to 2cl of the juice obtained from the shellfish and using a hand blender, emulsify by adding 8gm of chopped ginger and 6cl of olive oil. Season. Marinate the crabmeat with 4gm coriander, 10gm ginger finely chopped, 4gm chives, and 60 gm of chopped onion and add the dressing. Brown the scallops over high heat and leave to cool. Remove cockles and mussels from their shells and put in a bowl adding the chopped whelks, scallops, thinly sliced tomatoes, chopped coriander, chopped chives, zest of lemon and chopped onion. Mix well and season with the remainder of the dressing. On a plate, using a cookie cutter, pour the crustacean coulis in the centre and garnish with crabmeat salad and add the shellfish salad on top. Finish off the presentation with a few leaves of chervil and chives.

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Foie gras and pineapple, litchi juice, duck broth with tamarind and passion fruit

With the festive season on the way, the Executive Chef of Paradis Hotel & Golf Club, Jean-Christophe Basseau, presents a gourmet recipe for you to treat your guests. INGREDIENTS (serves 10) 1 raw duck foie gras (liver) (600 g) 1 Victoria pineapple 40 oz butter 30 oz litchi honey 20 cl of duck broth 2 tablespoons of tamarind juice 1 cinnamon stick 2 pieces of passion fruit Freshly ground pepper Sea salt Chervil TO PREPARE Slice the foie gras into 60 g pieces. Peel the pineapple and cut into slices of 5 mm thickness, cut out the centre with the help of a cutter. Cook the pineapple slices in butter, add the litchi juice towards the end and season with salt and pepper. Put the slices to one side and keep warm. Fry the foie gras slices and season with salt and pepper. Keep the slices warm. Deglaze the pan with tamarind juice then pour in the duck broth, stir to obtain a sauce. Add a cinnamon stick and butter and stir. Place the pineapple slices on plates and place the slices of foie gras on top. Pour over the sauce and passion fruit pulp. Finish off the presentation with a few leaves of chervil.

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Soba noodle salad, grilled quail breasts with peanut oil and ginger dressing

This week Fabio Zanforlini introduces an asian-inspired recipe using “soba”, which means buckwheat in Japanese. Here is what you will need (Serves 4): 150 g   Soba noodles    4      Quail breasts 50 g     Carrots (cut in 2 mm cubes) 50 g     Celery Stalk (cut in 2 mm cubes) 50 g     Leeks (cut in 2 mm cubes) 50 g     Shiitake mushrooms (cut in 2 mm cubes) 50 g     Daikon (cut in fine strips) Rocket leaves Dressing 1/4 cup Brown rice vinegar 1 tbsp   Peanut oil 1 tbsp   Maple syrup 1 tbsp   Ginger (minced) 2 tsp     Tamari (soy sauce) 1 clove  Garlic 1 tbsp   Lime juice 1 tsp     Lime zest To prepare: Add noodles to salted boiling water and cook according to package directions. Drain, and rinse under cold running water. Heat oil in saucepan then pan-fry the quail breasts for 2 minutes on each side, season with salt and pepper and set aside. Blanch the carrots, leeks, shiitake and celery in salted boiling water for a few seconds. Cool under cold water, drain and set aside on a kitchen towel. Mix all the dressing ingredients in a bowl. Toss the noodles, carrots, leeks, shiitake and celery together and add the dressing. Serve in a plate, add the quail breasts, cut in two lengthwise, on top of the noodles and add the rocket leaves, daikon and a few drops of the dressing for the presentation. Bon appetit!

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Coconut crème brulée

This week we’ll be trying out a great French classic to which Fabio Zanforlini – Executive Chef at Shandrani Resort & Spa – has added a tropical twist. Here are the ingredients you will need (serves 4):

- 250 ml Fresh cream - 250 m Coconut milk - 6 Egg yolks - 50 g Sugar - 30 g Brown sugar To prepare: Heat to the boil the cream and coconut milk. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar; pour in the cream. Divide the preparation into four coconut shells and bake in the oven at 90 °C for one hour. Leave the crèmes brulées to cool in a refrigerator. Before serving, sprinkle the surface with brown sugar and caramelize with a blowtorch. Enjoy immediately!

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“Rougaille gateaux piments” sauce

This week we will be using our “gateaux piments” recipe (lentil croquettes with chilli) to make a delicious rougaille sauce. This sauce can be used to accompany any fish or meat dish or simply to spice up your rice and pasta dishes. Here is what you will need (serves 4): - 1 onion - 1 clove of garlic (finely chopped) - 15g ginger (finely chopped) - Thyme - Parsley - 4 peeled tomatoes - 1 chilli - Salt and pepper - Gateaux piments (previously fried) To prepare: Crush the gateaux piments with a fork. Cut the onion into rings and cook for 1 minute. Add the garlic, ginger, herbs, tomatoes and chilli and cook over low heat for approximately 15 minutes. Finally, add the crushed gateaux piments and serve hot with the dish of your choice!

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Vegetable pickle (achard)

This Creole culinary specialty is a blend of pickled vegetables that can be served as a complement to your “rougaille” or curry, or simply with a slice of bread, commonly known in Mauritius as “dipain zachard”. Here is what you will need: - 250 g of cauliflower - 250 g of green beans - 250 g of carrots - 150 g of peppers - 250 g of cabbage - 500 ml oil - 50 ml vinegar - 3 g turmeric powder - 1 g mustard seeds - 3 g garlic (finely chopped) - 3 g ginger (finely chopped) - 1 onion - 1-2 chillies - Salt and pepper To prepare: Clean the vegetables. Cut carrots into 2cm sticks. Cut the beans, peppers and cabbage into strips and the onion in half. Separate the cauliflower into flowers. Blanch the vegetables in warm salted water, making sure they remain firm. Cut one or two chillies in half lengthwise. Heat the oil (100 ml) in a large pan large. Add the turmeric (previously dissolved in vinegar), mustard seeds, garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring for 2 minutes and finally add the onion and chillies. Cook for 2 more minutes, add the vegetables, salt, pepper and the remaining oil, stirring for another 5 minutes. Let the achard cool and store in glass containers, covering with a little olive oil.

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Gateaux piments (lentil croquettes with chili)

This traditional snack will bring a touch of originality to your aperitif! Today we will be using a popular and widely used ingredient in Mauritian cuisine: Dhal, also called yellow lentils. Here are the ingredients (serves 6): - 500 g of Dhal (yellow lentils) - 5-6 green chilies (finely chopped) - 10 g chives - 10 g of parsley - Thyme - Salt - Oil (for frying) To prepare: Soak the dhal in cold water for four hours and then blend in a mixer to obtain a smooth puree. Add the chili, chopped herbs and salt to taste. Let the mixture rest for about an hour. Form small balls of about 2-3cm in diameter (wet your hands slightly so the mixture doesn’t stick!) Fry in plenty of oil and serve hot accompanied by a delicious tomato chutney!

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Creole rice

This week Fabio Zanforlini and his team of chefs at Shandrani Resort & Spa present us with a basic but inevitable dish in Creole cuisine! To make this dish you will need (serves 4): 300 g basmati rice 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 pinch of turmeric 1 tomato (cut into small pieces) 1 red chilli 1 onion (sliced) 2cm of fresh ginger (grated) 1 clove of garlic (finely chopped) 1 bunch of chives 1 bunch of coriander Salt & pepper To prepare: Rinse the rice under running water. Bring the water to a boil, salt it lightly, and let the rice cook (for 15 minutes). Drain the rice and let it cool on a plate. In a saucepan heat the olive oil and sauté the onion, garlic and ginger. After a couple of minutes add the turmeric and brown all the ingredients for another five minutes. Add the tomato, cook over low heat, add the rice, salt and pepper and add the coriander and chives at the last minute. Simply mix and the dish is ready!

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Mauritian style octopus salad

After our Madagascar Octopus dish, today you will discover another octopus recipe full of colour and Mauritian spices! A fresh salad idea to bring back the taste of summer! Here is what you need for this delicious octopus salad: - 1200 g of fresh octopus - 80 g of onions - 1 red chilli (if you like very spicy) - 3 tablespoons of mustard seeds - 80 g of cucumber - 10 g of ginger - 20 g of fresh coriander - Half a red pepper - Half a yellow pepper - Half a green pepper - 2 tomatoes - 100 ml extra virgin olive oil - 40 ml of white vinegar - Juice of 2 limes - Salt and pepper To prepare: Cook the octopus in salted water for about 1 hour. Rinse well to remove excess skin from the tentacles and slice. Cut all the vegetables into strips. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl: season with mustard, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper ... and enjoy your fresh octopus salad!

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Sacré chien parcel with sesame oil

This recipe is presented to us by Lorenzo Buti, chef at Trou aux Biches Resort & Spa. He uses a delicious mix between Asian ingredients and a typical Mauritian fish, the “sacré chien”. Here is what you will need for this recipe (serves four): - 4 slices of sacré chien (which you can replace with fresh cod) - 4 asparagus - 8 plum tomatoes - 1 baby fennel - 8 slices of zucchini - 50g of unsalted fish stock - Olives taggiasche (Small black olives) - Sesame oil - Aromatic herbs - Extra virgin olive oil - Whole salt - Transparent baking paper

To prepare: Blanch all the vegetables and peel the plum tomatoes. Put all the ingredients in a bowl and add the olives. Season with sesame oil. Grill the slices of sacré chien in a pan until half cooked, season with olive oil and salt. Cut rectangles of the transparent baking paper and place the vegetables, a ladle of stock, a slice of sacré chien, aromatic herbs and olive oil in the middle of the sheet and close the parcel. Bake at 160 degrees for 8 minutes and serve!

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Madagascar Octopus with new potatoes, salsa verde and tandoori powder

The Italian chef of Trou Aux Biches Resort & Spa presents a recipe using octopus, traditionally named “hourite” in the Mascarene Islands. Thanks to the tandoori powder, a combination of traditional spices, this creation evokes the authentic scents and flavours of India. Here are the ingredients (serves four): - 4 new potatoes - 600-700 g of octopus - Tandoori powder - Cherry tomatoes - Whole sea salt - Bay leaves - Basil - Parsley - Extra virgin olive oil - Black pepper - Garlic All the ingredients you need can easily be found in Asian food stores. To prepare: Boil octopus in lightly salted water and add 2 tablespoons of tandoori powder (you can try a Mauritian trick for the salted water: add 30% sea water to your water). Peel the potatoes, blanch them in salted water and brown in a pan with garlic and bay leaves. Dry the octopus in paper towels and then brown in a pan with garlic and bay leaves. To prepare the salsa verde, crush and mix together the parsley, garlic, anchovies, vinegar, bread crumbs and olive oil. Place the ingredients on a plate and dust with tandoori powder, decorate with fresh herbs and olive oil and serve!