Joanna James
For those of you who are planning on visiting the Maldives next year, you might want to know about the local cuisine as this is what you will be eating most of the time at your resort. Here are the most popular five you will see on your menu.
Bis Keemiya is a short eat that goes between a samosa and a spring roll. The filling for this particular pastry is gently sautéed cabbage stuffed in with hardboiled egg and onions. They are all spiced up before it is wrapped in dough and then deep-fried. Although it sounds pretty easy to make, Bis Keemiya is actually a very very tasty dish that can surely give your taste buds a delight. But this is just the beginning, wait till you taste the rest!
In English, this would be known as "banana flower salad". It is made with blanched banana flower chopped finely. The best part is that the banana flower is actually still crispy after the blanching is done. This is then mixed with chopped onions and shredded fresh coconut. Maldivian chillies or birds' eye chillies are also added to give the dish that extra bit of spice. The mix is then seasoned with salt and a bit of lemon juice and there you have it a healthy but tasty salad coming right up!
This is a fragrant fish soup that the Maldivians have been enjoying from way back in the past. Fish is boiled in water with onions, curry leaves, chilli and garlic. Once done, the cooked fish and spices are then topped with crunchy fried onions and a squeeze of lime for a citrusy touch. The process sounds so simple, but the dish tastes exquisite. The soup is the ideal comfort food for winter and the perfect energising soup for summer as well. How about that! If you are staying at one of the Maldives villas, you are sure to find this on your menu.
Just like the pol roti in Sri Lanka, the Maldives has its own version on coconut flatbread and yes it tastes absolutely amazing! The flatbread contains shredded coconut in it to provide a subtle flavour and texture to which is wonderful on the tongue. The dough is then fried until the outside is nice and crispy and the inside is chewy. It can be served with all of the special delicacies mentioned above or just enjoyed plain as well. Give it a go at the restaurant at Kuramathi Maldives and you will certainly not be able to get enough of it!
After the savoury favourites, how about a light but sweet Maldivian dessert? Have you had sago before? Well, if you haven't this is a great way to taste it for the first time. Sago is boiled with coconut milk, rose water and cardamom. It is then mixed with a bit of condensed milk for some sweetness and there you have it. A precious dessert!
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