It is at once a fascination and education to see how food (ingredients and dishes) travels the world and is adapted and interpreted. We only need to look at our own cuisine to see the creations and variations. A couple of weeks ago, some friends and I were discussing how very much alike pholourie and Mauritius’ gâteaux piment (chilli cakes) are. It was easy to see why.
Like Guyana and many other places, Mauritian cuisine is ethnically diverse. The big influences are African, French, Chinese and Indian. Therefore, it is not surprising to see dishes there that seem similar in one way or another, whether it is by the cooking technique, ingredient or composition of a dish. Outside of the Caribbean region, theirs is the closest I have seen to our dhal puri. Actually, I want to try making their dhal puri, the difference is that they do not put any rising agent (baking powder) in the dough and the dough is kneaded with the water used to boil the peas. I am thinking that the water would contain some nutrients, but more so, I think that the natural gas from the split peas might be adding some tenderness to the dough when it is mixed with the boiled water, hence eliminating the need for baking powder. Will keep you posted when I try it.
Getting back to these chilli cakes.
They are like pholourie without wheat flour. The rest of the ingredients are essentially the same – split peas, baking powder, cumin/geera and salt. They also add chopped fresh coriander/cilantro and thinly sliced scallions/green onions. Apart from not having flour, here are some other differences:
● the cumin/geera, is toasted and added whole
● turmeric is not usually added. Some recipes include turmeric based on personal preference
● there are recipes that call for baking soda instead of baking powder, the reason is that the baking soda would react with the split peas causing the fritter to be crisper when fried
● most recipes stipulate that the peas should not be ground smooth to a paste, this is to ensure added crispness when cooked. Actually there are recipes that suggest setting aside some of the whole rehydrated peas to add to the batter. guaranteeing added crunch when fried.
I cannot help but think how very much this is like a Vada, from which I am sure these chilli cakes are influenced. Vada is also known as bara. Vada is a category of fried snacks native to India. Most vada are made from legumes; sago and potatoes are also cooked in the style of vada. Most of the time vada is served with tea when entertaining. There might be pakoras and samosa too.
Gâteaux piment, like pholourie, is also a popular street food. And the similarities do not end there.
Here in Barbados, there is a combination of salt bread (bread roll) and fish cakes (which as you know are made like accras/fried round fritters). The salt bread is cut in half with a piece barely attached and 2 fish cakes are stuffed between along with a drizzle of pepper sauce. The roll and its filling are smashed together before tucking in. A favourite hot or cold beverage washes it all down. This is a street food breakfast favourite. It is called a Bread and Two. Well, guess what – gâteaux piment is also sold as a breakfast street food. Two or three of them are stuffed between a sliced, buttered crusty bread roll to be had with tea or a cold drink. It is amazingly beautiful how as people we can be physically separate all over the world and yet be so close together by how we eat and what we eat. That is people and food travelled.
I made some gâteaux piment last week and it did not disappoint. Obviously I made some slight variations and that was more in the area of the texture of the ground split peas. My friends and I were first drawn to this dish because it meant not having to add flour, thereby making it gluten free, that way, more people can eat it.
The recipe is really a no-brainer if you already have a pholourie recipe, simply eliminate flour. Put in everything else that you usually do with your pholourie recipe.
Here’s how I made my batter.
● I rehydrated 1 cup dried split peas overnight. The following day, I rinsed it well and added it to a blender/food processer combo along with 2 cloves of garlic and 4 tablespoons of water, and let the machine go until the mixture was smooth and fluffy. I scraped down the sides of the jug once.
● The mixture was transferred to a bowl and 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 2 teaspoons of ground cumin/geera, and ½ teaspoon of ground turmeric were sprinkled around and thoroughly mixed in. Salt was added to taste. It is better to add a little and you can taste test by frying a little of the batter to see if you need to add more.
● Finely chopped scallions/green onions, hot peppers and cilantro were mixed in for even distribution. The bowl was covered and left to rest for 1 hour before frying.
● Deep fry, drain well on paper towels and serve hot, warm or at room temperature – as is, with sour or your favourite chutney. I had time with homemade tamarind chutney.
I ate these and shared them with my taste testers, particularly those familiar with pholourie. No one could tell that there wasn’t any flour, they thought that I had simply reduced the amount of flour in the batter. When cooked up, there was a nice crust and the inside was soft. I attribute the inner texture/tenderness to blending the peas for an extra minute or 2 with the water. The result was air being whipped into the batter. It is the same reason that ice cubes are dropped into the blender when pureeing chickpeas for hummus. It adds moisture resulting in a creamy, fluffy puree.
So apart from all the excitement of finding similar foods, if you are looking for a gluten free version of pholourie, try this version.
Cynthia
cynthia@tasteslikehome.org
