Tekwa is one of the most interesting things I have tasted in Mauritius. I bought it blindly, having no idea what it was. This type of purchase often works out, but sometimes it doesn’t. However, I would recommend that everyone who visits Mauritius try tekwa and not be afraid to try something new.
Tekwa is a fried pocket filled with a sweet mixture of yellow peas and fennel seeds. The combination of yellow peas, fennel, and sugar may sound wild, but trust me, it’s a delicious dish. Although tekwa is fried, it’s not greasy and therefore not a heavy meal.
The preparation is not complicated. Yellow split peas are cooked in water with fennel seeds until they are soft. Then they are drained and the liquid is set aside. The cooked peas are ground into a powder in a blender, and sugar and dried grated coconut are added. The dough is made from flour and the pea broth, with added dried milk, fennel seeds, sugar, baking powder, and butter. The kneaded dough is divided into balls the size of an egg, flattened with fingers into a patty, filled with pea filling, and then closed into a ball again and rolled out into a patty that is fried in oil. For those interested, a detailed recipe for tekwa can be found here:
Tekwa is the most interesting new flavor for me that I have tasted in Mauritius and I would love to try it home.
Tekwa is sold still warm and wrapped in a bag. I bought two pieces of tekwa for 25 MUR, which is about 0.50 EUR at the Quatre Bornes market, but you can also find it elsewhere. If you are not afraid of new flavors, definitely try tekwa!
