Mauritius | Recipe

Alouda

Name: Alouda
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 8 cups
Cuisine: Mauritius, East Africa
Ingredients: 1 cup milk and basil seeds, rinsed or prepared; 8 cups water; 2 tbsp fresh ginger, sliced; 4 whole cloves or grains of spice, optional; ½ cup sugar or honey; 1 whole lime or lemon, juiced

Alouda is a drink with milk and basil seeds, rose syrup and vanilla. Serve

Country

Mauritius

Region

East Africa

Time

35 min

Serves

Level

easy

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01 / Get ready

Everything you need

Tap each ingredient as you gather it. Illustrations are visual guides; follow the ingredient names and quantities.

Servings 8

Scale the dish before you shop, then use the checklist while you cook.

Jump to method My cookbook

Ingredients

For 8 cups

Recipe

Drink

1 cup milk and basil seeds, rinsed or prepared 8 cups water

Spice

2 tbsp fresh ginger, sliced 4 whole cloves or grains of spice, optional

Sweetener

½ cup sugar or honey

Finish

1 whole lime or lemon, juiced

A few kitchen essentials

Suggested from the recipe method. Use equivalent equipment you have.

Lidded pot

02 / Let’s cook

One step at a time

Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.

Back to Mauritius

4 steps 15 min prep 20 min cook (check method) 35 min total easy

Prepare the base

Rinse or prepare milk and basil seeds, then combine with water in a pot.

prep 05:00

Infuse

Simmer with ginger and spices until the drink is deeply flavored.

infuse 15:00

Strain and sweeten

Strain while warm, then sweeten and add citrus.

sweeten 06:00

Chill

Chill completely and serve cold over ice.

chill 30:00

Alouda changes by household and market. Keep the main ingredient and seasoning balance, then adjust heat, liquid, or starch for your table.

Cooking notes, photos & serving ideas

Recipe context

More about this dish

Serving ideas, regional context, and cooking cues for when you want more detail.

When to cook it

Best for hot days, hosting, Ramadan or celebration drinks, and non-alcoholic refreshment.. Plan on a easy cook. Allow about 35 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

ice cold

Regional lane

Mauritius national table. A structured Mauritius dish in the AfroKitchen archive.

Chef watch-outs

Rushing the base before the raw edge has cooked out.
Adding all seasoning early and forgetting to adjust at the end.
Cooking on heat that is too high once the dish should be steaming or simmering.

How you know it is ready

The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.
Oil, sauce, broth, or steam should look settled and deliberate.
The final texture should match the dish style before you plate it.

Recipe photos

See the dish before you cook

Take a closer look at the dish and its serving ideas.

Alouda recipe from Mauritius — Alouda finished dish

Chef board

Build the table around Alouda

ice cold

Best route from here

Mauritius national table

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