Rougail saucisses: the Réunionese family recipe

Rougail saucisses (sausages in a spicy tomato sauce) is one of Réunion’s most popular dishes: smoked sausages simmered with tomatoes, onions, garlic, thyme and chilli, served with rice and grains (pulses). Here is the family recipe, simple and generous, as it is made in Réunionese kitchens, with tips for getting the sauce just right.

What is rougail saucisses?

In Réunion, the word “rougail” means two things. First, it is a raw, spicy relish, such as tomato rougail or mango rougail, served on the side. It is also a slow-cooked dish based on tomatoes, onions and aromatics, in which meat or fish is cooked: rougail saucisses, rougail morue (salt cod) or rougail boucané (smoked pork).

Unlike carri (Creole curry), rougail saucisses does not normally contain safran péi (turmeric): it is the tomato that gives it its red colour and thick sauce. An everyday dish as well as a family-gathering favourite, it is shared just as readily at Sunday lunch as on a picnic.

What ingredients do you need?

Serves 4 to 6:

• 1 kg of smoked sausages (or half smoked, half fresh)
• 4 onions
• 5 or 6 very ripe tomatoes
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 small piece of ginger (optional)
• 2 or 3 sprigs of thyme
• 1 or 2 chillies, to taste
• 1 tablespoon of oil
• Salt and pepper, sparingly

To serve: white rice, grains (lentils, red beans or butter beans, known locally as pois du Cap) and, if you like, a tomato rougail or achards (pickled vegetables). The best produce is found on the stalls of an open-air market, where tomatoes, chillies and thyme are sold fresh.

How do you make rougail saucisses? Step-by-step recipe

1. Desalt the sausages. Prick the sausages with a fork, place them in a pan of cold water and bring to the boil. Cook for 10 minutes, then drain. This step removes some of the salt and fat.
2. Cut. Slice the sausages into rounds of about 2 cm. Slice the onions and cut the tomatoes into small dice.
3. Make the aromatic paste. Pound the garlic, ginger and chilli with a pinch of salt using a pestle. If you don’t have one, chop them very finely.
4. Brown. In a cast-iron pot or casserole, heat the oil and fry the sausage rounds until nicely browned, stirring regularly.
5. Add the onions. Add the onions and let them soften for a few minutes with the sausages, without burning them.
6. Flavour. Stir in the aromatic paste and the thyme. Mix for a minute to release the aromas.
7. Simmer. Add the tomatoes, stir, cover and simmer over a low heat for 20 to 30 minutes. Stir from time to time and add a small glass of water if the sauce catches.
8. Reduce. Remove the lid for the last few minutes so the sauce thickens. Taste, then adjust the salt and pepper only at the end, as the sausages are already salty.

Serve piping hot with the rice and grains.

Tips for a perfect sauce

• Don’t skip the blanching: without it, the dish may be too salty and too fatty.
• Take your time browning the sausages: this is what gives the sauce its flavour.
• Choose very ripe tomatoes, even slightly overripe: they break down better. Out of season, a small tin of chopped tomatoes will do in a pinch.
• Go carefully with the chilli if you are cooking for children, and offer a spicy rougail on the side for those who like heat.
• Make it the day before: like many slow-cooked dishes, rougail saucisses is often even better reheated.

What to serve with rougail saucisses

In Réunion, the dish is almost always eaten with white rice and a dish of grains, cooked separately. Lentils and red beans are the most common sides. A raw tomato rougail, vegetable achards or a chouchou (chayote) salad add freshness.

For a complete Creole-style meal, you can serve it alongside a carri: our Réunionese chicken carri recipe is just as easy to make. Rougail saucisses is also a classic of celebration meals and Sunday picnics, as you will see in our article on the Réunionese festive menu.

What variations of rougail are there?

Once you have mastered the technique, it adapts to many ingredients:

• Rougail boucané, with smoked pork belly, much loved in the Hauts (the uplands).
• Rougail morue, with desalted salt cod.
• [Rougail bringelle](/culture/cuisine/rougail-bringelle), made with aubergines, a meltingly soft vegetarian version.

Every family has its own way of doing it: a little more ginger, turmeric for some, more or less sauce. To taste other Creole recipes during your stay, browse the restaurants in Réunion listed on the site.

Want more recipes and foodie addresses? Download the Nout Péi app or explore the Réunionese culture section.

Frequently asked questions

Should you put turmeric in rougail saucisses?

Traditionally, rougail saucisses is cooked without turmeric: its colour comes from the tomatoes. Turmeric, called safran péi in Réunion, is rather the hallmark of carri. Some families add a pinch, but it is not the most common recipe.

Why do you need to blanch the sausages?

Smoked sausages are often very salty and fatty. Boiling them for about ten minutes before browning removes some of the salt and fat. The dish will be better balanced and the sauce tastier.

Can you freeze rougail saucisses?

Yes, rougail saucisses freezes well once cooled, in an airtight container. Thaw it in the fridge, then reheat it gently in the pot. Make the rice and grains when you are ready to serve.