Cari Poulet Mauricien

Mauritian chicken curry with whole cloves, fresh thyme, tomatoes and curry leaves in a golden, fragrant gravy

Origin: Port Louis, Mauritius

From the journey of Cloves.

Mauritius is a geopolitical accident that became a culinary masterpiece. The island, uninhabited before Portuguese discovery in the sixteenth century, was colonised successively by the Dutch (who named it after Prince Maurice), the French (who developed the sugar industry with enslaved African and Malagasy labour), and the British (who abolished slavery and replaced it with indentured labour from India, sending more than four hundred thousand Tamil and Bhojpuri-speaking workers to the sugar fields in the nineteenth century). The result is a population (and a cuisine) that is Chinese, French, Indian, African, and Creole all at once, in proportions that vary street by street and kitchen by kitchen across the island. Cari poulet mauricien (Mauritian chicken curry) is the dish in which all of these threads converge. It has the structural logic of an Indian curry, the tomatoes of Creole cooking, the fresh thyme that is unmistakably French, and the whole cloves that speak to the island's own clove history: it was to Mauritius that the French botanist Pierre Poivre smuggled the first clove plants from the Dutch-controlled Maluku Islands in 1770, breaking the VOC monopoly and setting in motion the eventual planting of cloves in Zanzibar that would transform the global spice trade. Cloves grow in Mauritius to this day. The presence of whole cloves in the cari (toasted in the hot oil at the beginning of cooking alongside the cinnamon and cardamom) is a culinary reminder of the island's own role in the spice story.

Ingredients

Chicken

1.2 kg chicken pieces, bone-in and skin-on (thighs and drumsticks)

Base

3 tbsp neutral oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
5 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 cm piece of fresh ginger, finely grated

Whole Spices

6 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
3 whole green cardamom pods, lightly cracked
8 fresh curry leaves
3 sprigs fresh thyme (the Mauritian signature: do not substitute with dried)

Ground Spices

2 tsp Mauritian curry powder (or a mild Madras-style curry powder)
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp chilli powder (or to taste)

Sauce

400 g ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped, or one tin of plum tomatoes
150 ml water
1 tsp fine sea salt

To Serve

steamed basmati rice and roti, to serve

Method

Heat the oil in a large, wide pan over medium-high heat. Add the whole cloves, cinnamon stick, and cardamom pods and fry for 30 seconds until they sizzle and the cloves swell slightly. Add the curry leaves and thyme sprigs: they will splutter.
Add the onion to the spiced oil and fry over medium heat, stirring, for 8–10 minutes until deeply golden. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for 2 minutes.
Add the curry powder, cumin, turmeric, and chilli powder to the onion mixture. Stir and fry for 2 minutes: the ground spices will dry out, darken slightly, and smell toasted rather than raw.
Season the chicken pieces with salt and add to the pan skin-side down. Brown for 4–5 minutes per side. Add the tomatoes and stir to combine everything. Cook for 5 minutes until the tomatoes break down.
Add the water, stir, and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 35–40 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has reduced to a rich, clinging gravy. Taste and adjust salt.
Remove and discard the cinnamon stick and large cloves if visible. Serve with steamed basmati rice and warm roti or paratha.

Notes

Mauritian curry powder is a specific blend available in Mauritian grocery stores (Jumbo brand is widely available in the diaspora) and has a brighter, slightly sweeter character than standard Madras curry powder. Fresh thyme is the most distinctively Mauritian ingredient in this curry and is worth seeking out: it contributes a Mediterranean herbal note that dried thyme cannot replicate in the same way. The whole cloves should be removed before eating but are difficult to locate in a dark gravy; warn diners to eat around them.

The Gastrographer

Name: Cari Poulet Mauricien
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Mauritius
Ingredients: 1.2 kg chicken pieces, bone-in and skin-on (thighs and drumsticks); 3 tbsp neutral oil; 1 medium onion, finely diced; 5 cloves garlic, finely minced; 2 cm piece of fresh ginger, finely grated; 6 whole cloves; 1 cinnamon stick; 3 whole green cardamom pods, lightly cracked; 8 fresh curry leaves; 3 sprigs fresh thyme (the Mauritian signature: do not substitute with dried); 2 tsp Mauritian curry powder (or a mild Madras-style curry powder); 1 tsp ground cumin; ½ tsp ground turmeric; ½ tsp chilli powder (or to taste); 400 g ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped, or one tin of plum tomatoes; 150 ml water; 1 tsp fine sea salt; steamed basmati rice and roti, to serve

Mapping Culinary History

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control