It was our pleasure to welcome you to our Maldivian Cooking Class. Please find the attached recipe card for your reference, so you can recreate these authentic Maldivian dishes at home.
We understand that you prefer not to have onions. Please feel free to omit the onions from the recipes, or substitute them with celery if you prefer. The dishes can still be prepared beautifully while preserving their authentic flavors.
We hope these recipes bring back wonderful memories of your time in the Maldives. We look forward to welcoming you back for another memorable culinary experience.
3. Boil over medium heat until drumsticks are tender.
4. In another pot, cook the rest of the onions, chili, garlic, ginger, curry leaves, rampa leaves, cardamom, cinnamon, and coconut milk until the onions are soft.
5. Once the drumstick are tender, transfer it to the pot in step 4.
6. Simmer for one minute over low heat.
7. Serve with roshi and rice.
MALDIVIAN REEF FISH CURRY
(RED SNAPPER) (S)
INGREDIENTS & INSTRUCTIONS
500gram fresh reef fish
12 cardamom pods
2 tablespoon cumin powder
2 tablespoon fennel powder
5 garlic cloves
4 onion
2 pieces of ginger
26 dried chilies
5 curry leaves
½ table spoon turmeric
5-inch piece of rampa (pandan) leaf
3-inch piece of cinnamon
1 cup of coconut milk
1 cup of grated coconut
2 tablespoon oil
Salt to taste
2/3 cup of water
PREPARATION
Roughly chop 2 onions, 3 garlic cloves and ginger.
Using your mixer, blend together the grated coconut, salt, fennel, cumin, 8 cardamom pods, 3 curry leaves, turmeric and dried chili. Add a bit of the paste mixture in a pot, together with cinnamon and chopped onions, cloves and ginger.
Heat oil in a large pot.
1. Add sliced onion, curry leaves, cardamom pods and cinnamon.
2. Once onion is translucent and soft, add garlic and cook until soft.
3. Remove half of mixture from the pot and set aside.
4. In the pot, add the coconut milk, water, remaining curry paste and cook for a few minutes.
5. Add reef fish cubes.
6. Lower the heat to simmer, and adjust seasoning according to preference.
7. Simmer until fish is cooked around 15 to 20 mins.
8. Add the remaining mixture and adjust to taste.
BONDIBAI (V)
INGREDIENTS & INSTRUCTIONS
1 cup Basmati rice
2 cups coconut water
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon and cardamom
1 ½ cup sugar
1 Pandan leaf
1 teaspoon Rose water
PREPARATION
1. 1. Cook the rice in coconut water with pandan leaf.
2. 2. Add ground cinnamon and cardamom while cooking the rice.
3. 3. When water is absorbed, add the sugar to the rice. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes.
4. 4. Remove the rice from heat and add rose water
Note: You can use jasmine water instead of rose water, if available.
HUNI HAVAADHU (TURMERIC COCONUT CURRY PASTE)
This type of havaadhu is typically used to make spicy yellow curries like dhon riha, reef fish, moringa, and other types of fathu riha (leaf curry). It is great for breadfruit curry as well. Kandu Kukulhu curry paste requires the same ingredients but it is made with less chilies, and has coriander seeds (1 tablespoon for this recipe).
INGREDIENTS & INSTRUCTION
3 onions
5 cloves of garlic
8 cardamom pods
4 cloves
2-inch piece of ginger
2-inch piece of cinnamon
6 dried chili
2 scotch bonnets (one, if less spicy)
1 tsp. black peppercorns
2 tablespoon cumin
2 tablespoon fennel seeds
2 sprigs curry leaves
1 - 2 tablespoon turmeric powder
PREPARATION
Grind everything in a food processor or grinder until the consistency is smooth. Add a few spoons of water if it’s too dry.
