Category Archives: Culinary

Gastronomy holidays in the Indian Ocean 2014

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One of the hot holiday trends for foodies in 2014 is the gourmet holiday, a chance to combine a trip abroad with the very finest food experience.

Gastronomy holidays at Constance

Gastronomy holidays at Constance

The islands of the Indian Ocean have long had a tradition of delicious food infused with the flavours and heat of local herbs and spices but it took the development of luxury hotels and restaurants in the area to create a gastronomic fusion of traditional and European cuisines.

It is this development which has made discovering the local flavours of countries like Mauritius, Madagascar, Maldives and the Seychelles, a fine-dining treat for the foodie traveller.

Traditional flavours with a culinary twist

At Constance, our classically trained, world-class chefs are at the very centre of this passion for culinary adventure taking the traditional spices and flavours of the islands and merging them with European traditions of haute cuisine.

So at Constance Moofushi in the Maldives our chefs took the traditional Maldivian fisherman’s dish of tuna curry and gave it a Constance twist while at Constance Belle Mare Plage the chefs have turned the popular Mauritius fruit, the Chinese guava, into a sorbet served with a local palm kernel salad.

Fresh high-quality ingredients

Our passion for creating the very best dishes begins with the sourcing of fresh ingredients and, where possible, this means sourcing things locally from the vibrant markets or direct from local fishermen.

Our chefs at Constance Le Prince Maurice were even able to track down an Italian cheese-maker who had settled in Mauritius and is passionate about making the very best cacioricotta cheese from local goats’ and cows’ milk to use in their restaurant’s ravioli cacioricotta.

East meets West

At Constance Halaveli’s fine-dining Jing restaurant East meets West in sumptuous style as chefs create fusion dishes such as Red Thai Curry Cappuccino, coffee and anise spiced duck and the delicious desert of mango sticky rice.

A celebration of local culinary traditions

Experience local food, prepared in a traditional way by our world-class chefs and you’ll discover the very best of local island cuisine.

Chefs at Constance Lémuria in the Seychelles recently set about restoring the popularity of the traditional Creole ingredient brède mouroum, the leaves from the moringa tree, by using it as a garnish to their Creole fish broth.

Respect for local culinary traditions is also taken very seriously by our chefs at Constance Tsarabanjina. Our head chef describes the preparation of the national dish Romazava as being like a ritual which no one is allowed to disturb and he is proud to share it with guests of all nationalities.

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Cocktail: Tongasoa fresh juice

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A new year offers the opportunity to turn over a new leaf. Try our delicious Tongasoa fresh juice, a non alcoholic cocktail from Constance Tsarabanjina, that will definitely put a smile on your face.

Tongasoa fresh juice

Tongasoa fresh juice

Ingredients

  • 10 cl of passion fruits
  • 10 cl pineapple
  • 10 cl goyave
  • 2 cl grenadine
  • 7 cl mango juice
  • 1 banana
  • 2 slices of ginger

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5 tips for travel inspiration 2014

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Get inspired for 2014 and find out what you could look forward to in the coming months at Constance Hotels and Resorts in the Indian Ocean.

Travel inspiration - Diving at Constance Moofushi

Travel inspiration – Diving at Constance Moofushi

1. Challenge yourself to a wild adventure in dramatic locations

Take yourself out of your comfort zone and try diving with sharks in the Maldives at Constance Moofushi, rock climbing in the Seychelles at Constance Ephélia or landing a marlin off the shores of Constance Le Prince Maurice.

2. Take a digital detox

The appeal of a digital detox continues to gather pace. At the Robinson Crusoe style island of Constance Tsarabanjina, you can cast yourself away and escape the buzz of modern technology. Turn off your mobile phone, leave your iPad in your suitcase and don’t even think about checking your emails. This is a place where you can really reconnect with yourself and feel the absolute peace that comes from being offline to the rest of the world.

3. Discover a new passion

Whether you’ve always wanted to learn everything there is to know about wine or you’re interested in the vast world of marine biology, make 2014 the year you start your journey of discovery.

Our expert sommeliers are always happy to talk guests through our wine lists before you take a tour of the extensive cellars at Constance Le Prince Maurice and Constance Halaveli followed by a wine tasting.

Travel inspiration - Constance Tsarabanjina

Travel inspiration – Constance Tsarabanjina

If action’s your thing, take a specialist diving course in the Maldives, or learn to play golf in Mauritius or the Seychelles.

And if gastronomy is your passion, you can learn to cook using local ingredients under the expert guidance of our chefs.

4. Enjoy time with those you love

Let this be the year you make time to hang out, talk and laugh with your loved ones. Book a villa big enough for all the family from grandparents to grandchildren like the family villas at Le Prince Maurice, Belle Mare Plage, Halaveli and Ephélia or splash out on the über luxury of one of our Presidential villas.

5. Treat yourself to life’s simple pleasures

Take the time to enjoy the pleasure of trying a new spa treatment, reading a book on a sun lounger, or just exploring a beautiful spot while letting your thoughts meander. You can take a break from it all at one of our Spas de Constance where our therapists can create a personalised plan for you while on holiday.

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Recipe: Creole fish broth and “bred mouroum pti fye”

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Brède mouroum leaves grow on trees and can reach up to 3 or 4 metres high. The branches are broken by children who climb in the trees, while the elderly have the wisdom and patience to pluck the branches.

Legend, Constance Lémuria

Legend, Constance Lémuria

The mouroum is little used these days. We wanted to bring it back into fashion.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

The fish:

  • 1.5kg whole white fish (grouper, if possible)
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 onion
  • 15g bilimbi (small local fruit)

1. Scale, dress, wash and fillet the fish. Remove all bones.

2. Crush them and drain off the bones by leaving them for an hour under a trickle of cold water. Soak them in a pan with cold water and bring them to the boil.

3. Skim off any impurities, add the carrot and onion, cut into chunks, and let it all gently simmer for an hour and a half.

4. Pour the bones out and pass the broth through a strainer. Adjust the seasoning.

5. Cut the fish fillets into cubes approximately 1.5cm square and chop the bilimbi.Fry the fish cubes with a little colourless oil and add the chopped bilimbi.

The garnish:

  • 500g brèdes mouroum leaves
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 5g chopped ginger
  • 8 slices of fried ginger
  • 12 garlic chips
  • 1 lemon confit
  • 2 tomatoes, diced
  • 1 lime
  • salt/pepper

1. In a small wide dish, cook the brèdes mouroum leaves in some olive oil. Add the garlic and chopped ginger, and season it with salt. Store it.

2. Cut the lemon confit into a small diamond shape. Store it.

3. For the finishing, take off the tomato skins and fry them.

Finishing and presentation

Arrange the cubes of fish on plates. Complete with the brèdes mouroum on top, the lemon confit, along with the fried tomato skins, the ginger and garlic chips. Top it all off with the hot fish broth.

 

5 flavours of the Maldives

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Over the years traditional Maldivian recipes have adopted influences from Europe and Asia to create a richly flavoured, warmly spiced culinary tradition.

Flavours of the Maldives - tuna curry

Flavours of the Maldives – tuna curry

Here are some of the key ingredients used in Maldivian cuisine and some mouth-watering recipes to inspire you.

Tuna

Tuna is a core ingredient of Maldivian cuisine prepared in a variety of ways including dried, fresh or even ground into a paste known as Rihaakuru and used as an ingredient in other dishes.

• Recipe with tuna: Maldives tuna curry

Curry powder

With its Asian influence curry is a one of the most common dishes in the Maldives, often featuring diced tuna and known locally as Mas Riha.

• Recipe with curry powder: Halaveli’s shrimp Laksa

Chilli

Giving Maldivian cuisine its heat are chillies used in many traditional dishes including the local grilled fish staple.

• Recipe with chilli: Grilled squid and Moofushi chilli tomato preserve

Coconut

The coconut is widely used in the Maldives in a variety of forms including grated, squeezed (for coconut milk) and pressed (for oil).

• Recipe with coconut: Coconut cake

Avocado

Thanks to the humid soil of the Maldives a wide range of exotic fruits and vegetables, such as avocados, grow easily here and have become key ingredients of the nation’s cuisine.

• Recipe with avocado: Constance Fish Ceviche Acapulco style

Maldivian flavours at Constance

This blend of European and Maldivian cuisine is at the heart of the menus at Constance Moofushi’s Manta and Alizée restaurants while a rich fusion of flavours is served up against the stunning backdrop of the Indian Ocean at Constance Halaveli‘s romantic Jing restaurant. And if it’s a barefoot vibe you’re after, the fresh seafood cooked on the beach is the theme at Meeru’s beach grill.

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  • Find out more about the cuisine of the Maldives on the travel site Wandtheworld.

 

Constance shares its passion for wine with Seychellois

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Leading sommelier at Constance Ephélia, Romain Sauzier, shared his passion for wine when visiting students at the Seychelles Tourism Academy as part of Constance’s commitment to share our skills and expertise locally.

Sharing a passion for wine

Wine tasting at Constance

Romain, who received his sommelier training in France, introduced the Seychellois students to the art of wine tasting and wine pairing.

Romain explained that while wine is not a part of the traditional Seychellois culture, ‘this skill can be learned and introduced into the many tourism establishments in the country where I hope local talents will be trained to take on sommelier position in the near future.’

Food and wine pairing

Pairing food and wine is an artform we care passionately about at Constance. Our team at Halaveli share their tips for matching the perfect wine to food.

Discover more about Constance Ephélia on our website.