Dholl Puri
Mauritius's iconic street food, directly descended from Bihari dal puri, brought by Indian indentured laborers who arrived between 1834 and 1920 after the abolition of slavery on the island. A real detail of adaptation under hardship: rationed dal cooking water was reportedly reused to mix the dough during indenture, giving the bread its split-pea character even before the peas are stuffed inside. It's always served as a full plate — folded around rougaille, a curry, pickled vegetables, and gateau piment — not eaten as a standalone bread.
Vegan
⚠ Contains: Gluten. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 1 cup yellow split peas
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp turmeric (for dough)
- 2 tbsp oil
- Salt, water
- Rougaille (tomato-onion-garlic-thyme sauce), to serve
- Chickpea or vegetable curry, to serve
- Pickled vegetables (achard), to serve
Steps
- Boil the split peas until tender, drain well, and grind coarsely with garlic, cumin, and turmeric until dry and crumbly.
- Make a soft dough from the flour, turmeric, oil, salt, and water. Rest 20 minutes.
- Divide into balls, flatten each, place a portion of the dry filling inside, seal, and roll out thin carefully.
- Cook on a dry hot griddle until lightly browned with light char spots on both sides.
- Serve folded with rougaille, curry, and pickled vegetables.