TASTE OF MALDIVES

Maldivian born ‘Chef Baka,’ Chef De Cuisine of W Maldives, continues to marinate thrilling twists and turns of authentic flavours of Maldivian Cuisine, giving guests a taste of authentic dishes from the archipelago

Kandu Kukulhu Riha

100 gm tuna Pandan leaf strip 1 cup coconut milk

Homemade curry paste

2 whole thinly sliced onions 1 bunch of garlic, thinly sliced 1pc of githeyo mirus (Maldivian chili) ½ cup fish curry powder ½ tbsp chili powder ½ tbsp cumin seed ½ tbsp cumin powder ½ cup coconut milk 1 cup grated coconut 10pcs curry leaves 1pc pandan leaf 1tsp. coconut oil Pinch of salt and pepper

Method

1 Heat the pan into medium heat with cumin seed and coconut oil. Sauté the thinly sliced garlic, onion and

Maldivian chili until golden in color. Add the grated coconut, curry leaves and pandan leaf. Cook until the grated coconut becomes golden-brown in color. Add the fish curry and cumin powder, cook for five minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove the sauce from the pan.

Blend until smooth. Set aside. 2 Cut tuna loin into 2 inches long chunks. Then cut each chunk like a Swiss roll. On each strip of tuna, apply generous amount of curry paste on the inside and roll the tuna piece in a Swiss roll locking as much curry paste inside. Tie the rolled tuna piece with a pandan leaf strip. 3 Over the medium heat, add the coconut milk and the rest of the curry paste into the pot. Sauté the mixture and stir until it dissolves into a curry. Add the tuna roll and cook over medium heat until tuna is cooked and the curry thickens. Season with salt.

Watermelon Tartar

50g watermelon 25g raw tuna 2 pcs watermelon chips 2 pcs sweet potato chips Watermelon foam 3 thinly slice pickled bilimbi 1 tbsp lime juice

Homemade chilli sauce

1 whole onion 1 bunch of garlic 10 curry leaves 1 tbsp chilli powder 1 tbsp cumin powder 1 tbsp olive oil 1 chili (optional) Salt

Method

1 Cut the watermelon and tuna into cubes. Set aside. 2 Blend all the ingredients for the homemade chilli sauce until smooth. In a small bowl, mix the chilli sauce, tuna, watermelon, onion and lime juice. 3 Garnish with watermelon and sweet potato chips, pickled bilimbi, and the watermelon foam.

Hanaakuri Lobster

250g lobster

Homemade havaadhu

2 whole onions 1 bunch of garlic 1 piece of githeyo mirus (Maldivian chilli) ½ cup chicken curry powder ½ cup fish curry powder ½ cup coconut milk 1 cup grated coconut 10 pcs curry leaves 1 pc pandan leaf 1 cinnamon stick 3 pcs cardamom 1 tsp vegetable oil Pinch of salt and pepper

Coconut chapati

½ cup grated coconut 1 cup flour ½ cup water Salt 100g red cabbage 100ml toddy (fermented coconut water)

Cabbage Satani

50g thinly sliced cabbage 1 whole thinly sliced onion ½ cup grated coconut 50g thinly sliced smoked tuna 1 pc of githeyo mirus (Maldivian chilli) 1 pc lime 1 pc bilimbi Pinch of salt and pepper

Method

1 Boil the full lobster with shell in 150 degrees Celsius water for 1 min. Remove the lobster from the casserole and put it in a bowl of ice cold water. Start to remove the lobster meat from its shell once it is warm to touch. Set aside. 2 Heat the pan to medium heat with vegetable oil. Sauté the thinly sliced garlic, onion and Maldivian chilli until golden in colour. Add the grated coconut, curry leaves, pandan leaf, cinnamon stick and cardamom. Cook until the grated coconut becomes golden-brown in colour. Add the chicken and fish curry powder, cook for five minutes. Season and remove the sauce from the pan. Blend until smooth. Set aside. 3 On a new heated pan, add the homemade curry paste, coconut milk, and the lobster. Cook for 3-5 mins. 4 For the coconut roti, mix the ingredients together. Knead until the dough is smooth. Roll and cook on tawa until cooked slightly and then put on direct flame until it puffs. Fold roti into a taco shape.

Set aside. 5 Slice the cabbage thinly. Mix with fermented toddy (coconut water). Put the cabbage mixture in the roti. 6 To make the cabbage satani, mix all the ingredients together, except cabbage. Combine the cabbage once every ingredient is mixed well. Place in a fresh half-opened coconut. 7 Place each element neatly on a wooden platter and serve.