This delicious rougaille recipe made with sausages is an easy family dinner, and one that can be batch cooked and frozen for busy nights when you don’t want to cook. The tomato based stew is simmered gently with spices until thick and rich, and is a delicious comforting meal younger kids love too.
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What is Rougaille?
Rougaille (or rougail, depending on the region) is a traditional Mauritian tomato based dish. There are many recipes and slight variations of this Creole dish, as each family often has their own take on it. This recipe was given to me by a great friend from Mauritius, who passed it on from his sister. The original recipe used salted fish, but I have substituted easier to find pork sausages. Apart from that I have stuck as close as I could to be authentic, and hope that I have done it justice!
Why we love this recipe
- Kid friendly dinner – whether in a tomato sauce like this recipe, or in a one pot sausage pasta, dinners with sausages as the main ingredient are always a hit in our house!
- Freezer friendly.
- Packed with flavour!
Ingredients Notes
- Sausages – any plain pork sausage work. I use thin pork sausages, but you can use thick ones, and cut them in to slightly shorter pieces.
- Tomatoes – use ripe fresh tomatoes, if possible. You can use tinned/canned plum tomatoes if you can’t get fresh tomatoes.
- Onions – red onions are sweet which I love in this stew, but you can use brown too.
- Chilli – fresh green chilli, the ones I use are on the mild side. To keep this kid friendly I keep the chilli on the top of the stew when it’s cooking so it only adds a mild heat. You can leave out the chilli altogether if you wish, or for a spicy dish, add 2 chillis.
- Curry leaves – a fragrant herb that belongs to the citrus family. They can be a little tricky to find, so if your local supermarket/grocery store doesn’t stock them, try Indian markets or order them online. If you can’t find them leave them out, it is still delicious without, but they do add a distinctive flavour. Don’t use curry powder as a substitute, it is something completely different!!
How to make this recipe
For the full, detailed recipe, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- In a large pan, fry the onion in oil.
- Once it’s started to soften…
- …add cut pork sausages.
- Fry until the sausages are golden.
- Sprinkle in the curry leaves and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add garlic and ginger and cook.
- Add the chopped fresh tomatoes.
- Optional – add a whole green chilli. Cook until the sauce in thick and the sausages are cooked through.
FAQ
Can I freeze this dish?
Yes you can. Cool completely and freeze for up to 8 weeks.
Is this dish spicy?
It can be as spicy as you like! You can omit the chilli to make it non spicy, or submerge in the sauce to make it very spicy.
What can I use instead of curry leaves?
Lemon balm, 1 bay leaf (remove before serving), or a little lime zest are all good substitutes for curry leaves.
My Recipe Tips
- If it starts to dry out, add a splash of water or chicken stock.
- Variations – you can make this with salted fish, shrimp/prawns, king prawns, fish, cubes of beef..
- Vegetarian rougaille – leave out the sausages and add a couple of hard boiled eggs to the dish once cooked.
- For a tasty garnish, fry some curry leaves in a spoonful of oil (careful, they can spit a little), drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle over the rougail.
Serving Ideas
- With rice.
- Flatbread – rotis, or we love it with these soft chapati
- On it’s own, topped with fried curry leaves (as below)
Storage
- Fridge – it will keep in the fridge, covered, up to 3 days.
- Freezer – cool completely and freeze for up to 2 months. I find it easier to portion it out, not only does it take less time to defrost, but it is a great kid dinner
More Kid Friendly Dinner Ideas
Sausage Rougaille
Author: Robyn
This rich and fragrant tomato based sausage stew from Mauritius is great for batch cooking and freezer friendly
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil ($0.32 / £0.16p)
- 6 Thin Pork Sausages, cut into 3-4 pieces ($6.00 / £2.70)
- 2 Onions, finely chopped ($0.90 / £0.20)
- 8 Tomatoes, finely diced (approx 1kg / 2.2lbs) ($8.90 / £1.93)
- 2 cloves Garlic, crushed ($0.26 / £0.05p)
- 2½ cm Ginger, grated ($0.15 / £0.03p)
- Small Handful of Curry Leaves, sliced ($1.00 / £0.25p)
- 1-2 Green Chillies, sliced lengthways ($0.66 / £0.06p)
- Salt ($0.01 / £0.01p)
- Chopped Spring Onions to Serve, optional ($0.70 / £0.62p)
- Fresh Coriander to Serve, optional ($1.50 / £0.25p)
Instructions
- Cook the onions in the olive oil over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until starting to soften.
- Add chopped sausages and brown for 5 minutes.
- Add curry leaves and cook for 30 seconds.
- Stir in garlic and ginger and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add chopped tomatoes and chilli (if using) and cook for 20 minutes until sauce thickens and sausages are cooked through.
- Check for seasonings, adding salt if needed.
- Serve topped with spring onions and coriander if using.
Notes
Estimated costs: Australia $20.40. Per serve = $5.10. Using 2 tins of tomatoes can save you $7.40! Bringing the cost down to $13 per recipe and $3.25 per serve. It tastes better with fresh tomatoes if you can get them, but the family also love it with tinned tomatoes 🙂
UK £6.26. Per serve = £1.57. Use 2 tins tomatoes saves £1.37
America – I am yet to calculate the estimated ingredients costs to make this recipe in the US. If you would find it useful please contact me and I’ll get calculating 🙂
Sausages – any plain pork sausage work. I use thin pork sausages, but you can use thick ones, but cut them in to slightly shorter pieces.
Tomatoes – use ripe fresh tomatoes, if possible. You can use tinned/canned plum tomatoes if you can’t get fresh tomatoes, mashing them with a spoon in the pan to break them up a little.
Onions – red onions are sweet which I love in this stew, but you can use brown too.
Chilli – fresh green chilli, the ones I use are on the mild side. To keep this kid friendly I keep the chilli on the top of the stew when it’s cooking so it only adds a mild heat, or you can leave out the chilli altogether. For a spicy dish, add two chillis.
Curry leaves – a fragrant herb that belongs to the citrus family. They can be a little tricky to find, so if your local supermarket/grocery store doesn’t stock them, try Indian markets or order them online. If you can’t find them leave them out, it is still delicious without, but they do add a distinctive flavour. Don’t use curry powder as a substitute, it is something completely different!!
A tasty garnish idea: fry some curry leaves in a spoonful of olive oil (careful, they can spit a little), drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle over the rougail.
If the rougail starts to dry out, add a splash of water or chicken stock.
Variations – you can make this with salted fish, shrimp/prawns, king prawns, fish, cubes of beef, or cubes of tofu if wanting to make it vegan.
Vegetarian rougaille – leave out the sausages and add a couple of hard boiled eggs to the dish once cooked.
A tasty garnish idea: fry some curry leaves in a spoonful of olive oil (careful, they can spit a little), drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle over the rougail.
Nutrition
Calories: 665kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 29gFat: 53gSaturated Fat: 16gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 25gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 122mgSodium: 1130mgPotassium: 1092mgFiber: 5gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 3295IUVitamin C: 632mgCalcium: 178mgIron: 3mg
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