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.
