Kari Koko Zourit

The Seychellois octopus curry: octopus boiled tender and simmered in coconut milk with garlic, ginger, turmeric, masala, curry leaves, and the leaves of the island cinnamon tree

Origin: Victoria, Mahé & the Seychelles

From the journey of Coconut.

Kari koko is coconut curry in Seychellois Creole, and kari koko zourit, made with octopus, is the dish most often named as the most representative of the islands. The Seychelles have no official national dish, but octopus curry is the one both islanders and visitors reach for. The octopus is boiled until tender, cut into pieces, and simmered in coconut milk with garlic, ginger, turmeric, chilli, curry powder or masala, curry leaves, and cinnamon leaves, often with cubes of aubergine, until the sauce is thick and golden. It is eaten with rice. The curry holds the islands' history in one pot. The Seychelles had no people until 1770, when French settlers came from Mauritius with enslaved Africans to found plantations, and coconuts became the great crop: by 1875 there were thought to be more than a million palms on the islands. The curry spices came with the Indian traders and settlers of the nineteenth century, and the cinnamon leaves come from the trees that grow wild over the hills of Mahé.

Ingredients

Octopus

1 kg octopus, cleaned (frozen and thawed octopus is more tender)

Curry

3 tbsp vegetable or coconut oil
1 onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tbsp curry powder or Seychellois masala
1 green chilli, slit
1 sprig curry leaves
3 cinnamon leaves or bay leaves, or 1 small cinnamon stick
1 aubergine, cubed (optional)
400 ml coconut milk
1 tsp salt, or to taste

To Serve

Steamed rice, to serve

Method

Put the octopus in a large pot of unsalted water, bring to the boil, and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a knife slides easily into the thickest part of a tentacle. Drain and cut into bite-sized pieces.
Heat the oil in a wide pan and fry the onion until soft and golden. Add the garlic, ginger, curry leaves, and cinnamon leaves and cook for 1 minute.
Stir in the turmeric, curry powder, and chilli with a splash of water and cook for 2 minutes, until fragrant.
Add the octopus and the aubergine, if using, and stir to coat. Pour in the coconut milk, add the salt, and simmer gently, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and the aubergine is soft.
Taste for salt and serve hot with rice.

Notes

Fish, prawns, or chicken are cooked the same way as kari koko pwason, kari koko kribis, and kari koko poul. Some cooks add a little tamarind or a squeeze of lime at the end.

The Gastrographer

Name: Kari Koko Zourit
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Mahé & the Seychelles
Ingredients: 1 kg octopus, cleaned (frozen and thawed octopus is more tender); 3 tbsp vegetable or coconut oil; 1 onion, finely chopped; 4 garlic cloves, crushed; 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated; 1 tsp ground turmeric; 2 tbsp curry powder or Seychellois masala; 1 green chilli, slit; 1 sprig curry leaves; 3 cinnamon leaves or bay leaves, or 1 small cinnamon stick; 1 aubergine, cubed (optional); 400 ml coconut milk; 1 tsp salt, or to taste; Steamed rice, to serve

Mapping Culinary History

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control