Mauritius | Snack

Gateau Piment

Name: Gateau Piment
Prep time: 500 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 520 min
Yield: 20 servings
Cuisine: Mauritius, East Africa
Ingredients: 2 cups yellow split peas, soaked overnight and drained; 1 small onion, finely diced; 3 whole green chilies, chopped; 2 cloves garlic, crushed; ¼ cup fresh coriander, chopped; ¼ cup spring onions, sliced; 1 tsp ground cumin; 8 whole curry leaves, finely chopped; ½ tsp baking soda; 1 tsp salt; 3 cups vegetable oil, for frying

Mauritian gateau piment, crisp chilli fritters made from soaked yellow split peas, herbs, cumin, and green chile.

Country

Mauritius

Region

East Africa

Time

520 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 20

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

Jump to method My cookbook

Ingredients

For 20 servings

Snack

A few kitchen essentials

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

Wooden spoon

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

5 steps 500 min prep 20 min cook (check method) 520 min total easy

Grind peas

Drain soaked split peas well and grind to a coarse paste, scraping down the bowl so some texture remains.

Season paste

Mix in onion, chilies, garlic, coriander, spring onions, cumin, curry leaves if using, baking soda, and salt.

Shape fritters

With damp hands, shape small balls or rough patties so they fry evenly.

Fry crisp

Fry in hot oil until deeply golden and crisp outside, turning as needed.

Fry fritters 15:00

Serve hot

Drain well and serve immediately, plain or tucked into bread with chutney or rougaille.

Every household has small variations. Start here, then adjust seasoning, heat, and serving sides to your kitchen.

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 everyday meals. Plan on a easy cook. Allow about 520 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Fresh baguette, butter, coriander chutney, or rougaille

Follow the collection

Gateau Piment appears in 2 AfroKitchen collections. Start with Vegetarian Africa if you want more dishes in the same mood. Vegetarian Africa

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.

Gateau Piment recipe from Mauritius — Gateau Piment finished dish

Chef board

Build the table around Gateau Piment

Fresh baguette, butter, coriander chutney, or rougaille

Best route from here

Mauritius national table

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