Roshi

Roshi is a flatbread, often accompanied with traditional meals and is made with coconut – another key ingredient used in most Maldivian traditional dishes. It’s a tasty, versatile, and easy to make bread that can be served along with savoury or sweet dishes. 

Ingredients: 

3 x cups all-purpose flour

½ x cup vegetable oil

1 x teaspoon salt

2 x cups hot (just boiled) water

1 cup grated coconut

Method:

Mix all the ingredients then add warm water gradually, kneading until you have a dry, smooth dough. 

Break the finished dough into golf ball-sized pieces.

Smooth the balls using your hands.

Dust each ball with flour, and using a rolling pin spread evenly into circles that are about 6 -7 inches in diameter.

Heat a shallow frying pan, place Roshi on the pan and flip using a flat ladle until both sides are cooked to your liking.

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Mas Riha

Mas Riha is a traditional tuna curry bursting with flavour and spice and is also perfect to eat with Roshi. Just like Mas Huni, you will want to have this with a hot cup of black tea to create an authentic Maldivian experience. 

Ingredients:

1 x ( 350g) fillet tuna, cut into small cubes
1 x large onion, sliced
3" x pandan leaf, cut into large pieces
1 x sprig curry leaves
1/4- 1/2 x habanero ( depending on how much heat you can handle)
3 x cloves garlic, grated
1/2 x inch ginger, grated
3 x tbsp huni havaadhu ( coconut based curry powder)
2 1/2 x cups water
150ml x coconut milk ( canned or packed) or if using fresh, choose thick coconut milk
 1/4 x tsp tamarind puree or a pea-size piece of tamarind.
2-3 x tbsp corn or sunflower oil

salt to taste

Method:

Add a small handful of the onion (roughly 1/4 of the sliced onion), garlic, ginger and the curry leaves into a wet grinder or blender along with a pinch of salt and about 2-3 tbsp of water and blend to a smooth fine paste. 

Heat the oil in a pan and add the remaining onions, curry leaves and pandan leaf and stir fry till onions soften.    

Add the blended curry paste mixture along with the scotch bonnet peppers, water and tamarind to the stir-fried onions. 

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and add the fish cubes.  

Let the mixture simmer till the fish is cooked through and the curry flavours develop. 

Taste and add salt if needed and then finally add coconut milk. Cook for another 2 minutes and serve. 

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Mas Huni

A popular traditional Maldivian breakfast dish, Mas Huni is often enjoyed with Roshi, traditional flatbread, and sweetened hot tea. This easy to make dish captures the flavours of the Maldives with the perfect balance of coconut and spices – and what better way to start your day than eating as if you were in the Maldives!

Ingredients: 

1 x cup freshly grated or frozen coconut

2 x small can tuna in water, drained and flaked

2 x green chiles, stemmed and minced

1 x small red onion, minced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method: Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and serve with roshi

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Maskurolhi

Maskurolhi, also known as Maldivian style rice porridge, is a traditional dish enjoyed during the Maldives festive period of Eid al-Adha and can also be served with Roshi. Like porridge, this is a comfort food in the islands, but don’t be fooled– this is a spicy dish! 

Ingredients: 

150 x grams dried tuna flakes

1 x dried coconut, chopped into small pieces

1 x tablespoon peppercorns

4 x dried red chillies, chopped

1 x habanero

2 x onions, chopped

15 x curry leaves

6 x garlic cloves, skinned and chopped

1-inch x ginger, skinned and chopped

1.5 x teaspoon salt or according to taste

1 x lemon, freshly squeezed 

Method: 

Mix all the ingredients together.

Grind all the ingredients to a rough paste using a pestle and mortar, adding the lemon juice while grinding.  Serve with Roshi.

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If these dishes have piqued your interest in traditional Maldives dishes, here are some traditional snacks to look out for when you visit the islands for yourself:  

Kulhi Boakibaa: A must-try Maldivian food, Kulhi Boakibaa is a fish cake cooked on special occasions in Maldivian homes, but also found in many cafés. The cake is made of smoked tuna, scraped coconut, onions, and ground rice.

Gulha: called a 'short eat' or 'evening snack,' gulha are small bite-sized dumplings filled with tuna, onions, chilli and grated coconut, and taste great when served freshly baked with tea or coffee. 

Bis Keemiya: Somewhat like a samosa and spring roll, Bis Keemiya is an interesting dish that makes for a good snack. It's a pastry filled with tuna/hard-boiled egg, sliced onions and gently sautéed, shredded cabbage. The authenticity of the flavours makes it a must-try food of Maldives.

Masroshi: A twist on the well-known chapati flatbread and is stuffed with smoked tuna and coconut. To make it a little more flavoursome you can add spices and curry leaves to this dish as well. 

 More detailas about the Maldives...