Maldivian Cuisine
published by Safa on May 8, 2012
The cuisine of Maldives is a rich assortment of traditional cuisine and comprises three main components: tuna, coconut and rice. Maldivians use fresh ingredients in their cooking and follow their finest traditions to make a wide range of delicious dishes.
This article includes five unique Maldivian recipes.
The Republic of Maldives is an island nation with a population of approximately 300,000. The people of Maldives are known as Maldivians (‘Dhivehin’) and the language they speak is called Dhivehi. The language and the ancestry of Maldivians originate from ancient Sanskrit and South India. Maldives is a country with a land area of about 300 km2. Most of its territory is covered by the Indian Ocean. Due to the limited availability of cultivable land for agriculture, and very few natural resources, Maldivians very much depend on their surrounding seas for food. Varieties of fishes and seafood constitute an integral part of the Maldivian cuisine.
The cuisine of Maldives is a rich assortment of traditional cuisine and comprises three main components: tuna, coconut and rice. In the past, Maldivians depended on fish and coconuts, breadfruit, millet and tubers. Over time, foreigners influenced the cuisine of Maldives, as the country lay on an important path of ancient trade and travel. The cuisine of Maldives, with its foreign influences, is a distinctive blend with its own flavours, symbolizing a unique culinary identity. In addition to fish, coconuts and rice, local dishes are heavy on vegetables and spices. Maldivians use fresh ingredients in their cooking and follow their finest traditions to make a wide range of delicious dishes.
This article focuses on five unique Maldivian dishes.
‘Mas huni’ (tuna and coconut mix)
‘Mas huni’ is a blend of tuna, coconut and chili, which is loved by all Maldivians. It is more like a salad and requires very little time to prepare. This dish is eaten for breakfast with ‘roshi’ or chapatti and black tea.
What you need:
1 medium sized onion, thinly sliced
1 chili pepper (Dorset Naga/ Chinese capsicum/ ghost chili) finely chopped
1 cup diced smoked tuna (alternatively use 1 can of tuna chunks)
1 cup grated coconut
Juice of 1 medium sized lime
Salt to taste
How to make:
Squash the onion and chili pepper with the lime juice and salt.
Add the tuna and mix well.
Then mix in the coconut.
Taste the coconut-tuna mixture; add more salt or lime juice to suite to your taste.
Serve with ‘roshi’ (Maldivian thin bread)
‘Kulhimas’ (chili tuna)
‘Kulhi’ in Dhivehi, means hot or spicy and ‘mas’ means fish. Every single Maldivian enjoys this dish. It is easy to prepare and simply delicious. This dish can be eaten for breakfast with ‘roshi‘ or chapatti, or for dinner with ‘roshi’ or rice.
What you need:
500 g fresh tuna cut into small cubes (1 cm x 1 cm)
2 medium sized onions thinly sliced
1 tsp grated ginger
4 cloves garlic crushed or finely chopped
1 Chili pepper (Dorset Naga/ Chinese capsicum/ ghost chili) chopped
3 pods cardamom (cut at both ends)
2 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp fish or chicken curry powder/paste
¾ cup thick coconut milk
½ cup water
2 curry leaves (de-stemmed)
4 pieces of fragrant Pandan leaves cut into 1 inch pieces
3 tbsp cooking oil
Salt to taste
How to make:
Heat the oil and fry the onions, garlic, ginger, curry leaves and pandan leaves until the onion becomes transparent.
Add the chili powder, curry powder/paste and salt while stirring.
Add the tuna and toss until all tuna pieces are well coated.
Add chili pepper, cardamom pods, coconut milk and water and cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, until tuna is cooked.
Serve with ‘roshi’ or rice.
‘Garudhiya’ (Maldivian fish soup)
From time in memorial, Maldivians have been fishing and drying or smoking tuna. The fishes that have been smoked are used to make dishes like ‘mas huni’. Raw tuna is used to prepare ‘garudhiya’. This dish is highly valued and eaten by Maldivians almost every day.
What you need:
250 g fresh tuna
1 small onion, diced
1 tbsp whole pepper corns
1 curry leaf (de-stemmed)
1 L of water
Salt to taste
How to make:
Cut the tuna into small cubes.
Pour the water into a pot.
Place all the ingredients in the pot and cook until the water starts boiling.
Reduce the heat and remove the scum from time to time.
When the fish is cooked, turn off the heat.
Serve hot with rice, lime and chili. The soup can also be enjoyed as it is with a little lime juice and chopped chili added to it.
‘Handulu Bondibai’ (sweetened sticky rice)
A special dessert made by the people of Maldives for the most special occasions like the birth of a child. This dish is eaten with ‘kulhimas’ or separately. On special occasions, parcels of ‘Kulhimas’ and ‘bondibai’ are distributed to all households in the islands.
What you need:
2 cups rice
2½ cups sugar
5 pods cardamom
5 pieces of fragrant Pandan leaves cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tbsp rose water
5 cups water
1 cup thick coconut milk
How to make:
Rinse the rice with cold water until water running off the rice is clear.
Put the rice, water and coconut milk in a pan. Add cardamom and Pandan leaves and cook over medium heat.
When the rice is cooked and all the water has evaporated, the rice should be almost soft (If the rice is too soft then it is not suitable for this dish).
Add sugar and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Mix occasionally. The rice should be thick and sticky.
Turn off the heat and add rose water and mix well.
‘Kulhiboakibaa’ (fish cake)
For hundreds and probably thousands of years, ‘kulhiboakibaa’ or fish cake has been a very special food for the Maldivians. It is made especially for occasions like festivals and feasts. Nowadays the fish cake is also eaten as a short-eat during evening tea.
What you need:
1½ cups rice, soaked overnight and coarsely ground into a thick paste
3 cups smoked tuna, sliced (alternatively use 3 cans of tuna chunks)
1 cup grated coconut
2 finely chopped chili peppers (Dorset Naga/ Chinese Capsicum/ ghost chili)
2 curry leaves (de-stemmed), finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
1 tbsp grated ginger
Juice of two limes
½ tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1 tbsp coconut oil or any other vegetable oil
How to make:
Squash the onions, garlic, ginger, curry leaves, chili, lime juice, turmeric powder and salt.
Add the tuna, followed by the coconut and mix well.
Then add the rice and mix. Now the mixture will be a thick sticky paste. Taste it and add more salt or lime if needed.
Spread coconut oil on a baking pan.
Place the prepared paste in the pan and spread it evenly.
Bake at 180˚C or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
(Traditionally, Maldivians use a large cooking pot with a flat lid. They make an open fire using coconut shells. After the coconut shells have burnt and there is no flame, they place the pot on the fire and put some of the coconut shells (which are still burning) on top of the lid. This way, the cake is baked simultaneously on its top and bottom.)
# 1 by jennyreeve
May 8th, 2012 at 2:47 pm #
Gorgeous, I love Maldivian food.
# 2 by momofplenty
May 8th, 2012 at 2:57 pm #
Wow, great share!
# 3 by marqjonz
May 8th, 2012 at 3:11 pm #
Thanks. I’m sure to give mas huni a try quite soon. It’s like ceviche with coconut and cooked fish. I’ve been looking for a simple tuna recipe where I could leave out the salt. The dish is spicy enough for that to work.
# 4 by Tiki33
May 8th, 2012 at 3:11 pm #
Sounds healthy and really good!
# 5 by lauralu
May 8th, 2012 at 3:17 pm #
Safa this sounds really good thanks for the recipes, ^_^
# 6 by SharifaMcFarlane
May 8th, 2012 at 4:19 pm #
I would like to try these dishes.
# 7 by Martin Kloess
May 8th, 2012 at 5:07 pm #
pictures.
# 8 by yes me
May 8th, 2012 at 5:28 pm #
I started reading this with breakfast… done lunch now I need a snack cheers
# 9 by LCM Linda
May 8th, 2012 at 8:04 pm #
Interesting recipes. Tuna, coconut and rice are all healthy ingredients. It’s wonderful to know that we can come up with so many dishes.
# 10 by pulsananda
May 8th, 2012 at 8:39 pm #
Nice recipe, you make me hungry..,
# 11 by papaleng
May 8th, 2012 at 9:56 pm #
Good recipe. I will try making Kulhiboakibaa’ (fish cake). Seems a very yummy dish.
# 12 by avissado
May 9th, 2012 at 5:10 am #
must try it out…sounds yum!
# 13 by Thewoodlandelf
May 9th, 2012 at 2:17 pm #
These sound delish. I’m gonna try a few for my lunches. I’m generally up for anything involving tuna.
# 14 by Vinaya Ghimire
May 9th, 2012 at 2:34 pm #
The recipes look delicious. I have bookmarked this article so that I can try these foods.
# 15 by mohitraj321
May 9th, 2012 at 10:33 pm #
looks very tasty
# 16 by heruaja
May 9th, 2012 at 11:39 pm #
must be very tasty
# 17 by saffana
May 10th, 2012 at 2:04 pm #
i am sure this must be very delicious
# 18 by onestep234
May 10th, 2012 at 8:18 pm #
yummmy ….
# 19 by Dee Gold
May 10th, 2012 at 8:51 pm #
really nice
# 20 by realityspeaks
May 11th, 2012 at 3:53 am #
I’m sure it tastes good. In India too many coastal regions use coconut extensively in fish curry preparations.
# 21 by angelji
May 11th, 2012 at 10:00 am #
While reading , i become more hungry…this am sure so delicious and nutritious.
# 22 by Eiddwen
May 12th, 2012 at 6:21 am #
Another for me to save in my ever growing recipe book. I must try this one so thanks for sharing and I will let you know how I get on.
Eddy.
# 23 by Sithin.T.S
May 12th, 2012 at 10:05 am #
sounds salivating….
# 24 by avissado
May 13th, 2012 at 6:56 am #
may try the fish cake recipe today, that’s why i am here again
# 25 by fionna
May 14th, 2012 at 6:37 am #
These meals are delicious – a mix of fresh food and sun . Thanks for sharing.
# 26 by asmawi24
May 14th, 2012 at 7:07 am #
Hemmmm … can be tried
# 27 by mohitraj321
May 14th, 2012 at 10:07 am #
i like this
# 28 by Dreamy777
May 14th, 2012 at 2:59 pm #
I have never eaten these things together but it sounds really good. Thanks
# 29 by sheilanewton
May 14th, 2012 at 4:21 pm #
Mmmm- have to try this.
# 30 by girishpuri
May 17th, 2012 at 10:55 pm #
yummy
# 31 by avissado
May 18th, 2012 at 2:59 pm #
the fish cake recipe was yum thanks and am going to click liked it too
# 32 by girishpuri
May 21st, 2012 at 6:16 am #
again
# 33 by hexebella
May 21st, 2012 at 10:16 am #
I need to go to Maldives then….I have colleagues now from maldives and telling nice stories about the place and the compensation package is very attractive. Now you gave me more reason to pursue the idea
# 34 by Lisa Marie Mottert
May 22nd, 2012 at 10:15 am #
Great share, Thanks!
# 35 by LadyElena
May 22nd, 2012 at 1:04 pm #
Sounds mouth watering – nice ingredients. Its been a while since I had food with coconut in it.
# 36 by LCM Linda
May 22nd, 2012 at 8:15 pm #
Among all the recipes, fish cake is the first one I would like to try. I wonder how it tastes.
# 37 by KittyK
May 28th, 2012 at 4:33 am #
The main ingredients are things I prepare for my family as well and I love the curry and other spices. I will give the fish cakes a try!
# 38 by Rahmat Syam
May 28th, 2012 at 7:41 am #
I like it..
# 39 by Rahmat Syam
May 30th, 2012 at 1:58 am #
Again
# 40 by dodolbete
June 1st, 2012 at 6:35 pm #
Nom… nom… nom… it’s 6:33 AM. Been working all night long and now I really am very hungry ^,^
# 41 by demitrio
July 24th, 2012 at 2:10 am #
mmmm hove to try this at home..
# 42 by lauralu
October 27th, 2012 at 1:28 pm #
Cardamon is a spice we use too great recipes thanks