HOW TO MAKE A ROUGAIL SAUCISSES

“What about a batch of fries with an exotic touch of chilli powder?”

Cuisines are a vivid reminder of the different tastes that come from different localities. Even if you have never ventured out of your home town you are still likely to have tried a number of foreign cuisines. From your favorite Chinese take-away to the expensive sushi plater we all have acquired a culturally vast taste-buds.

Food can sometimes shock your taste buds to make you realize how colorful the world truly is. It’s a wonderful experience when trying a new dish and regardless of our preferences of meals we live culture through its gastronomic heritage. I now live in NYC, one of the most cosmopolitan city’s of the world, and I am lucky enough to have tried different varieties of new cuisines from Peruvian, to Pastrami on rye bread. Similarly in London I would often be found checking out new restaurants, from the renowned Indian chain Dishoom to the local run Jerk Chicken shops of Brixton. Despite being labelled a foodie, I will never come close to gauging all of the endless possibilities of a beautiful and creative blend of spices.

What draws me to foreign cuisines most is catching a glimpse into the culture of another country. Whenever I travel I make it a rule to try and eat local cuisines and inherently I will discover something new. These culinary discoveries can often leave an ingrained experience on me. For example, I become obsessed with Mexican food from a young age after visiting Mexico City as a child. Although I have yet to return to Mexico I still recalled the street foods, from the delicious corn tortillas to the tamales.

Being English I was raised with an appreciation for curry. It ‘s a staple in most food shops in the United Kingdom. However, I become far more entranced with Indian cuisine when I visited Mumbai, India. Only 19 I had been fortunate to have a close friend who was native of Mumbai. Therefore, I was being shown the city by a true Indian citizen who lived right in the centre of the city. I tried many authentic and fascinating curries. One of my favorites being the creamy and smooth butter chicken. Needless, to say I gauged just how much more there was to Indian food, for example I do not recall ever noticing Pani Puri beforehand. Or the way people consumed breakfast in the India, for example eating spiced scramble eggs with poppadoms.

It made me realize how easy for you to experiment with food: what about a batch of fries with an exotic touch of chilli powder instead of salt? I try to experiment with dishes whenever I cook at home often adjusting my favorite childhood dishes like cottage pie. Nevertheless, I am most proud when I master dishes from different countries.

Rougail Saucisses is one dish that is truly close to my heart. It is tasty treat from a small tropical island named Réunion.

Réunion is a French island. Located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar and South West of Mauritius, it is one of the few overseas departments of France.  However, the land was once colonized by Portugal, England and later, France, it also bears vivid influences from India, China and Africa. This all ties into the food they eat. Bearing something between curry and European marina sauce a rougail is a creole dish consisting of smoked sausages, tomatoes spices and accompanied with beans and rice. It is a comforting and delicious meal that leads you craving more.

I have decided to share the recipe on my site in the hopes that readers from the west will try to replicate it at home. Bring the tropical culinary delights of the island into your home wherever you are.

Fun fact for years I was cooking this dish incorrectly as in Réunion Creole they called Turmeric, Cumin. It took me a long time to realize that Curcumin is a major component of turmeric and thus was given the name over on the Island.

How to make a Rougail Saucisses

 Preparation time: 30 minutes

 Cooking time: 20 minutes

 Difficulty: medium

Ingredients

3 Tomatoes 2 Cloves of Garlic
2 Onions
250g Sausages (Smoked sausages work best for this recipe)
Kidney Beans
spring onions
Turmeric
Thyme
Chili (optional)
Ginger (optional)

Step One

Boil some hot water for the and place your sausages in there. (If you are using UN-smoked sausages make sure to pierce the skin a couple of times to stop them bursting.) Boil for 10 – 15 minutes.

Whilst they are boiling prepare your rice for cooking either in a rice cooker or a pot with water.

Dice the onions and garlic and chop the tomatoes.

Step Two

Drain the water and cool the sausages whilst preparing the beans for the rice.

Place some oil in small pot and fry half of your chopped onions and garlic. Add a teaspoon of turmeric after 2 minutes. Then pour in the can of kidney beans. Sprinkle the turmeric over the beans and add some thyme over mixture turn on to a medium heat and stir occasionally. This will be your bean dish to place over your rice. I tend to leave this to cook on a low heat once the consistency is thicker and leave it on until the final step when I serve the dish.

Step Three

Cut the sausages into slices and fry them in a large pot. (Useful tip: use plenty of oil and stir gently around the meat as to not crumble to sausages). Add thyme for flavor. After 5 minutes drain the sausages and some of the oil. Using the same pot fry the remaining onion with a tiny amount of turmeric before adding the sausages again. Add all the chopped tomatoes into the pot and stir it all together.

Step Four

Once fully mixed together. Leave sausage mixture to simmer with a lid on. This will make the tomatoes turn into a delicious curry sauce, if it still looks watering after 10 minutes add some tomato puree if needed. Keep checking the mixture regularly to avoid burning the meat and add water if needed. Once the mixture is thick its ready to eat.

The best part

Layer your plate. I always do this the traditional way. Get the cooked rice and then place some of the bean mixture over the rice. This will make the rice extra creamy and tasty. Then you add the Rougail Saucisses mixture on-top of the bean and the rice. Think of it as a triple layered curry.