Joanna James
It is generally assumed that the wallpaper-worthy beaches of the Maldives are the best parts of the country however; a little spoken about aspect is the country's cuisine.
This is one of the oldest dishes in the Maldives and is still used very often. It is basically a broth and is generally served at least once a day in a Maldivian household. Garudiya is colourless and is made using fish. After the fish is filleted and cleaned, it is then cooked with salted boiling water. This produces foam on the top, which has to be removed from the dish. While this is the original recipe, some add chillies, onion or curry leaves for flavour. Garudiya is then served warm with rice and flat bread. This dish can even be found in most resorts in Maldives i. There's a variant of this called Rihaakuru, where the soup is boiled until the water evaporates, leaving a thick brown paste which is consumed as a side dish.
Referred to as Roti in Sri Lanka, this is a type of flatbread which is quite similar to chapatti. The ingredients for the dish are flour, vegetable oil, salt and hot water. The ingredients are mixed together after which the water is added. The end result is dough that is kneaded till its smooth. Small pieces, roughly the size of a golf ball, are then removed from the dough and rolled into a flat circle and then cooked on the flame with no oil.
A dish that is commonly consumed for breakfast in the country, Mashuni is basically smoked tuna combined with coconut. Onion, chilli pepper, lemon juice and salt are blended together after which the tuna is added. The coconut is the last ingredient to be added. Mashuni is most often eaten with Roshi. Mashuni is commonly stuffed into roshi balls and formed into buns known as Masroshi.
This is one of the most popular curries in the island nation and one can find it in households as well as resorts like Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas. The main ingredient is tuna while many other spices such as ginger, turmeric powder, onion and cinnamon powder are used to add taste to the dish. This is one of the most complex dishes on this list and it involves many steps, but it still manages to be a fairly humble dish that packs a powerhouse of flavour.
The main ingredient is again fish, as with most dishes in the Maldives. A type of fried fish that is quite spicy, it is frequently used in day to day life and is easy to prepare. Three tuna slices of about 1/3 inches are used as well as two tablespoons of curry powder, tomato paste and half a cup of oil to fry the fish. The spices are blended into a mixture and made into a paste. This paste is then applied onto the tuna after which the tuna is fried.
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