A guide to Mauritian Valentine’s day recipes for your significant other

Valentine’s day is just around the corner and it’s time to give your significant other a treat to show your affection to them. 

Sweet treats like candy hearts, chocolates and bonbons are the go-to valentines day treats, but why not try something a little different this year and make them a full-course Mauritian meal?

Mauritian cuisine has Indian, African, French and Chinese influences, giving you a whole world of unique and flavourful options to dish to your love.

Here’s a guide to Mauritian recipes that you can surprise your significant other this Valentine’s day.

Starters

First, let’s start with some starters—pun intended! 

A few tasty little starters can set the mood for your Valentine’s day meal, so here are a few delectable dishes you can try:

Gateaux piments

Mauritian cuisine includes a lot of delicious starters, but none are more popular and quintessentially Mauritian than gateaux piments, also known as chilli cakes. 

Made from yellow chickpeas, onions, freshly chopped chillies and spices, such as turmeric and cumin and deep-fried in oil, gateaux piments is an easy starter to prepare. To give them a bit of a romantic twist, try making them into heart shapes and present them in a wicker bread basket, accompanied by some dips, like coconut raita and hummus on the side.

Getting the recipe exactly right can be a bit tricky if it’s your first time, so you can try ready-made frozen chilli cakes that you simply need to defrost and fry instead.

Samosas

Chicken samosas are a delectable, crunchy little snack that can satiate even the pickiest of palettes. 

It’s a simple dish; chicken filling wrapped in a crunchy pastry, but you can give them a little kick by pairing them with a flavourful coriander chutney. You can present the samosas in a wicker bread basket along with the gateaux piments.

The main course

On to the main course! 

Mauritius has some very savoury and flavourful dishes. For Valentine’s day, you’ll want to give your partner a meal that they won’t forget.

Octopus vindaye

An iconic Mauritian delicacy, the octopus vindaye is an octopus cooked in a mustard-based curry. The vindaye can be made with Rodrigues octopus and Lazzat spice mix and served with rice.

Since the meal is Valentine’s Day, plain rice might feel a bit dull; instead, serve a hearty fish pulao for two, moulded into the shape of a heart and garnished with cashew nuts and mints leaves on top.

Rougaille

This is another tasty dish that you can serve along with the octopus vindaye, and it also goes well with fish pulao.

Rougaille is a tomato-based dish that’s richly flavoured with a combination of Mauritian spices, cilantro, chillies, ginger, curry leaves, onions, garlic, and thyme. 

Add in some Ptit Sale pre-cooked snoek or some boiled and diced Rodrigues octopus into your rougaille, and you’ve got yourself a delicious restaurant-quality Mauritian seafood meal for your significant other.

Pickles

If you plan on having these dishes with rice, try to have some tangy pickles on the side. 

Chilli pickle, hog plum pickle, mango pickle, and long bilimbi pickle are all excellent sides for your main course.

Desserts

Finally, it’s time for dessert. 

Now, traditional Valentine’s day sweets can work here, but since we’re having a full-course Mauritian Valentine’s day meal, let’s have some traditional Mauritian desserts too!

Heart-shaped napolitaines

Heart-shaped napolitaines are cakes made from two shortcakes with sweet jam in the middle and glazing—usually pink—on top. Aside from dessert, you can also have these cakes for Valentine’s day tea with your partner.

Gato coco

A simple sweet treat made from grated coconut, milk and sugar. Gato coco can be presented in different colours, from adorable pinks to romantic reds. 

Make an assortment of different coloured gato coco and mix them together with some dried fruit, and maybe some marshmallows, and present them in a decorative bowl for your love.

Puit d’amour

This is a popular Mauritian desert that can surprise your partner with its unique and delicious flavour!

Puit d’amour is made with a small shortcrust pastry filled with vanilla cream and topped with coconut shavings and a cherry. Pair them with napolitaines, and you’ve got yourself a sweet selection of delectable desserts for this special day.

Make this Valentine’s day special

Valentine’s day is a day to celebrate love and affection, and what better way to show your loved ones how you feel about them than treating them to a special meal? 

Whip up a tasty traditional Mauritian full course meal for your loved one’s this valentine’s day.