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COMPETITION: Yummies in Mauritius

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As the cold approaches, wouldn’t you #RatherBeInMauritius? Mauritius Tourism and City Press are giving you the chance to head out into the sun with three of your best friends. Simply read Rhodé Marshall’s article on the delicious Mauritian food as the second part of our four-week competition. Then enter and stand a chance to win.

The beautiful, tiny island of Mauritius has an amazingly rich and assorted food culture, filled with inspirations from its mélange of inhabitants (Creole, French, Chinese and Indian people). A terrific way to experience any country is through its food and Mauritius isn’t any different. And #Trending has heard that the food of Mauritius is some of the tastiest you will ever try – especially the street food.

Try anything from fresh coconut water; chopped fruit covered in chilli and sugar; or hot curries topped with chilli and pickles wrapped in buttery breads; to Chinese fried noodles, and your tummy will be blessed. The resort that will be your home for seven nights adhere to the notion of authenticity, offering guests the opportunity to get a real taste of the island during a stay. 

Ye! Man is the main restaurant of the resort complete with live cooking stations that serve up traditional Mauritian dishes and a variety of other delectable flavours from around the world. Then there's Tribu, the pool bar and restaurant, a self-service pool bar (drinks only) during the day and offers an à la carte menu in the evening. Guests that dine here have the opportunity to sample spices and exotic flavours from Mauritius and the surrounding islands. Aiming to bring Tamarin Bay’s beach culture to the resort, Crazy Fish Bar has a selection of lighter dishes offered during the day, and tapas plates in the evening with live jazz for an atmospheric soundtrack. 

And just at the hotel’s entrance, Kas Dal serves street food bites and provides picnic packs for those heading out on a day trip to explore the island. The resort also caters for your thirst at View, the most scenic bar in the region, with panoramic views that sweep across the bay. Serving a selection of cocktails, fresh Mauritian juices and rums, this is a real sundowner hotspot.

But if you and your three besties are selected to go on this trip, don’t just stay at Veranda Tamarin hotel when you visit Mauritius – get out and explore the island and its amazing food.

To get you started, here’s a recipe for Mauritius’ famed dhal puri, a pancake made from ground yellow split peas seasoned with cumin and turmeric, griddled on a tawa (flat pan) and wrapped around cari gros pois (butter bean curry) with rougaille (spicy Creole tomato sauce), pickled vegetables, coriander satini (chutney) and chilli – a meal which many consider the island’s national dish.

DHAL PURI RECIPE

Ingredients:

. 2 cups yellow split peas (that have been soaked in water overnight)

. 1 teaspoon cumin (seeds)

. 2kg plain flour

. 1 teaspoon turmeric powder

. 800ml of water

. Salt to taste

. Vegetable oil for cooking

Method:

Step 1: T oa st the cumin seeds in a hot pan (without oil).

Step 2: Once they are lightly toasted, put them in a mortar and crush themwith a pestle.

Step 3: Drain the peas and rinse well.

Step 4: Simmer them in enough water to cover the peas, with cumin, turmeric and salt until they havesoftened slightly (be careful not to overcook them).

Step 5: Strain ingredients, in afood processor and mix into a coarse paste. Set aside.

Step 6: Mix the flour with two pinches of salt in a bowl. Add water gradually to make a smooth dough.

Step 7: Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rest for about 30 minutes.

Step 8: Roll dough into small balls (about the size of a golf ball) and make a small hollow in each. Place a tablespoon of the yellow pea mixture into the hollow and seal the dough.

Step 9: Roll the balls into very thin pancakes (make sure this is ona floured surface or the dough will stick).

Step 10: Brush a non-stick frying pan with a thin layer of oil and cook each dhal puri for about two minutes on each side, on high heat. Before you flip your dhal puri, brush a little more oil directly onto it.

Step 11: Serve two dhal puri per portion with your choice of chutney and curry.

Mauritius

HOW IT WORKS

So, if you’d like to skip out of the cold and head into the sun with three of your best friends thanks to Mauritius Tourism and City Press, then here’s how you can #RatherBeInMauritius:

The competition will run in City Press for four consecutive Sundays – it started on April 21. Read the article each week. You will need to collect all four articles to win. At the end of the four weeks, there will be four clues based on the four articles. Put each of them together and add the following:

  • A picture of yourself with three of your friends putting the clues together creatively.
  • A video for the second slide telling us what you would do in Mauritius.
  • All four of you must follow and tag City Press on Instagram.
  • Use the hashtag #RatherBeInMauritius.

The prize includes:

  • Seven nights at three-star de luxe Veranda Tamarin on an all-inclusive basis – that’s two rooms for four people sponsored by The Holiday Factory
  • Return resort transfers
  • Four airport taxes sponsored by the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority
  • Four return, economy-class flights sponsored by Air Mauritius (from Johannesburg, Durban, or Cape Town)

We will select a winner in collaboration with Mauritius Tourism on May 26 and announce the winner across City Press platforms on June 2.

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