Elite life
Maldives (Maldivian Recipes)
Traditional Maldives Cuisine is based on three main items coconuts, fishes and starchy items and their derivatives. Coconut is used in the grated form, squeezed form to get the coconut milk or as coconut oil in recipes which require the ingredients to be deep fried. Hunigondi is the traditional Maldivian implement used to grate the coconut. It is actually a long low chair with a saw-toothed steel blade at its end. The grated coconut is soaked in water and squeezed in order to get coconut milk which is called kaashi kiru. The coconut milk is an essential ingredient in several mouth watering Maldivian curries.
Fish is another main item in Food of Maldives. The most favorite fish loved by all is skipjack tuna, either dried or fresh. Other favorite fishes are little tuna or latti, yellow fin tuna or kanneli, frigate tuna or raagondi, bigeye scad or mushimas, wahoo or kuruma and Mahi-mahi or fiyala. These are generally taken in boiled or processed form. The processed tuna pieces are used mainly in pieces or in shavings. The raw or the still soft processed tuna is cut into half an inch thick sections to make curries. Dry processed tuna is mainly used to make light bites called gulha, kavaabu and fatafolhi. People in Maldives don't have the tradition of eating raw fish which sets this culture of Maldives apart from that of the most Pacific islanders.
Ingredients:
300 g Rice (soaked overnight, blended to a semi-coarse stage)
200 g Smoked Tuna, sliced thinly
100 g Coconut, grated
150 g Yellow Lentil, cooked
150 g Onion, sliced thinly
3 Cherry Pepper
Juice of 4 Limes
8 Curry Leaves, chopped
25 g Ginger, grated
20 g Turmeric Powder
Salt to season
Water, to bind
Oil for deep-frying
Cooking Instructions:
Crush the onion, cherry pepper, curry leaves, ginger with salt, turmeric powder and lime juice. Add in the coconut and tuna. Mix thoroughly. Add in the rice and lentil. Combine the ingredients. Add sufficient water to make a pliable dough. Divide the dough into small balls. Roll each ball to oval shape. Deep fry until golden brown. Drain on absorbent kitchen paper.
Ingredients:
500 g Grouper (gutted, skin, head and bones removed, cut into ½ inch cubes)
100 g Onion (sliced thinly)
20 g Garlic Cloves (sliced thinly)
2 Curry Leaves
2 pcs Rampe Leaf
6 8 Bilinbi (de-stemmed, cut into halves)
10 g Cinnamon
6 8 Cardamoms
2 tsp Fennel (ground)
6 tbsp Chilli Powder
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Ginger (grated)
4 Green Chilli
2 tbsp Ghee
100 ml Coconut Milk
50 ml Coconut Cream
½ ltr Water
Salt to season
Cooking Instructions:
Fry the onion, garlic, rampe leaf and curry leaves until the onions are golden brown. Add in the fish, bilinbi, cinnamon, cardamom, fennel, chilli powder, turmeric powder, ginger, green chilli, coconut milk and water. Over a medium heat cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the coconut cream, adjust seasoning and remove from heat.
Ingredients:
500 g Tuna (fillets cut into 2 slices and fish bones, head and trimmings)
8 Dried Cherry Pepper
6 Curry Leaves
100 g Onion (sliced thinly)
Juice of 1 lime
3 ½ ltr Water
Salt to season
Cooking Instructions:
Boil all the ingredients apart from lime juice over low heat for 20 minutes. Skim. Add lime juice just after removing from the heat. Adjust seasoning. Serve hot.
Ingredients:
1 kg Beef fillet (cut into cubes)
200 g Onion (sliced thinly)
6 Garlic Cloves (sliced thinly)
1 Cherry Pepper (cut into halves)
6 Curry Leaves
3 pcs Rampe Leaf
45 ml Coconut Oil
5 tbsp Coriander Curry Powder
200 ml Coconut Cream
400 ml Coconut Milk
Water (sufficient to cover the meat being cooked)
Salt to season
Cooking Instructions:
Heat the oil. Add in the onion, garlic, curry leaves, cherry pepper and rampe leaf and fry until the onions are golden brown. Add in the beef, curry powder, coconut milk, salt and cover with water. Boil over a moderate heat until the meat is soft. Add in the coconut cream, adjust seasoning and remove from heat.
Ingredients:
450 g Patna Rice (excess starch washed off)
4 Onions (large, sliced thinly)
3 Garlic Clove (sliced)
2 pcs Cinnamon (soaked in hot water)
5 Cardamoms (soaked in hot water)
50 g Ginger (grated)
1 tsp Fennel Seed (soaked in hot water)
100 g Ghee
2 ltr Coconut Milk
2 Curry Leaves
Salt to season
Cooking Instructions:
Crush the onions with ginger and half of the garlic. Put some water into it, cover and keep. Melt the ghee in a pot. Add in the water from soaked cinnamon, cardamom, and fennel seed into the pot and stir until all the water has evaporated. Add in the onions mix, garlic, cinnamon, cardamom into the ghee and fry until the onions are transparent. Add in the rice and fry until rice is slightly dried up. Add in the stock and seasoning. Stir once and bring to boil. When the water has boiled down to the top of the rice reduce the heat, cover the top of the pot. Stir. Simmer until all the water has evaporated. Remove from heat. Stir the rice after 10 minutes from removal from heat to separate the grains.
Ingredients:
2 kg watermelon
½ cup sugar (alter to suit taste)
5 cups water
Cooking Instructions:
Slice the watermelon, remove seeds and dice it into very small pieces. Add the sugar and squash the watermelon and sugar together, then add the water and stir until all sugar dissolves. Serve chilled.
Ingredients:
300 g Rice (soaked overnight, blended to a semi-coarse stage)
200 g Smoked Tuna (sliced thinly)
100 g Coconut (grated)
150 g Yellow Lentil (cooked)
150 g Onion (sliced thinly)
3 Cherry Pepper
Juice of 4 Limes
8 Curry Leaves (chopped)
25 g Ginger (grated)
20 g Turmeric Powder
Salt to season
Water (to bind)
Oil for deep-frying
Cooking Instructions:
Crush the onion, cherry pepper, curry leaves, ginger with salt, turmeric powder and lime juice. Add in the coconut and tuna. Mix thoroughly. Add in the rice and lentil. Combine the ingredients. Add sufficient water to make a pliable dough. Divide the dough into small balls. Roll each ball to oval shape. Deep fry until golden brown. Drain on absorbent kitchen paper.
Ingredients:
1 kg Chicken (skinned, cut on the bone into bite size pieces)
6 tbsp Coriander Curry Powder
200 g Onions (sliced thinly)
50 g Garlic Cloves (sliced thinly)
50 g Ginger, grated
6 Curry Leaves
1 Cherry Pepper, quartered
2 pcs Rampe Leaf
30 g Ghee
1 tsp Caster Sugar
400 ml Coconut Milk
200 g Pine Nuts
200 g Raisins
45 ml Coconut oil
Salt to season
Cooking Instructions:
Heat the ghee. Add half the onions and fry until transparent. Add in the raisins, and pine nuts. Fry until onions are golden brown. Remove the fried ingredients from the pot. Add the oil into the pot. Heat it. Add in the rest of the onions together with garlic, curry leaves, cherry pepper and rampe leaf and fry until onions are browned. Add in the grated ginger, curry powder, sugar and salt. Mix. Add in the chicken, coconut milk, cover and cook until chicken is well done. Add in the fried onions, raisins and pine nuts into the pot and cook uncovered until the gravy has thickened. Adjust the seasoning.
Ingredients:
100 g Plantain (peeled and cored, washed, cut into brunoise, boiled until tender and drained)
50 g Basmati Rice (soaked for 2 hrs in cold water, washed and blended to a smooth paste)
150 g Caster Sugar
50 ml Coconut Cream
200 ml Coconut Milk
50 ml Jasmine Water
3 pcs Rampe Leaf
1 ltr Water
Cooking Instructions:
Bring water, jasmine water, sugar and rampe leaf to boil. Combine the thin coconut milk with puréed rice until free from lumps. Add the rice mixture to the boiling water and bring to boil and let it thicken. Add the cooked plantain into the pot and let it cook slightly. Add coconut cream. Remove from heat. Serve cold.
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
100g mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons chopped green bell pepper (about half of a small bell pepper)
2 tablespoons chopped pimiento-stuffed olives
1 cup Kraft Cheddar cheese (grated)
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup soft bread crumbs, tossed with a few teaspoons melted butter
Cooking Instructions:
Cook and drain macaroni, following package directions; place in a large mixing bowl. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium low heat. Add chopped onion, mushrooms, and chopped green bell pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until onion is softened and mushrooms are browned. Add skillet mixture to macaroni with chopped olives, shredded cheese, sour cream, salt and pepper, chicken, and milk. Transfer chicken and macaroni mixture to a shallow 10 baking dish. Sprinkle buttered bread crumbs over the top of macaroni and chicken casserole; bake at 175C for 25 to 35 minutes, or until chicken casserole is bubbly and breadcrumbs are lightly browned.
Ingredients:
200 g Smoked Tuna (thinly sliced)
50 g Coconut (freshly grated)
1 Onion large (sliced thinly)
1 Cherry Pepper (chopped)
Juice of 2 limes
Salt to season
Cooking Instructions:
Crush the onion and chilli with lime juice and salt. Add in coconut and tuna and crush them well. Adjust seasoning.
Ingredients:
250 g Octopus arms (well cleaned, sliced thinly)
20 g Dried Chilli
100 g Onion
20 Garlic Cloves
1 tsp Cumin
2 Curry Leaves
2 tsp Black Peppercorns
2 pcs Rampe Leaf
60 ml Coconut Oil
Salt to season
Cooking Instructions:
Fry half the onion and garlic together with the curry leaves and rampe leaf until onions are golden brown. Blend the rest of the spice mixture to a smooth thick paste. Add the octopus and the spice paste and seasoning. Braise over a low heat for 20 minutes.
