Joanna James
If you visit the Maldives, you will have the opportunity to savour some authentic local dishes such as garudihya, kulhimas, kukulku riha, hedhikaa, boshi mashuni and saagu bondibai to name a few!
A great choice with which to commence your experience of genuine Maldivian dishes would be the popular garudihya. A hearty fish soup, garudihya is counted amongst the local staples. The main ingredient in this soup would be the pieces of tuna which are allowed to simmer gradually in water. Optional ingredients would include fresh chilli peppers, onions, pandan and curry leaves. This soup is often accompanied with rice, roshi (a traditional Maldivian flatbread), chilli peppers, wedges of lemon and sliced onions.
Another fine dish that is native to the Maldives is kulhimas. It is prepared with a blend of tuna, hot peppers, curry leaves, onions, grated coconut, ginger, garlic, red chilli powder, cumin, cardamom, black pepper, oil and salt. All the ingredients except for the tuna are combined into a fine paste. Then, the tuna is added to the mixture, after which it is slowly cooked so that all the flavours are released. Kulhimas is typically served along with roshi.
This traditional Maldivian curry is sure to tantalise the taste buds of the visitor. It is typically made using chicken, ginger, garlic, onions, pandan leaves, curry leaves, chilli peppers, peppercorns, coriander, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, lime juice and ghee. First, the spices should be roasted dry and crushed to create a powder; next, the chicken will be marinated within a blend of lime juice, salt, ginger, garlic and the mixture of ground spices. Finally, this mixture is allowed to simmer with the curry leaves, pandan leaves and sautéed onions.
Make sure to try out hedhikaa which happen to be snacks, sometimes called 'short eats' in the Maldives, during your stay in the islands. One of these would be gulha which are little bite-sized spherical dumplings that contain a mixture of tuna, onions, grated coconut and chilli. Also, not to be missed would be mas roshi (a flat snack like gulha), biskeemiya (a samosa-like snack containing egg), kulhiboakiba (a special fish cake) and so on. A choice of accommodation to consider where you could enjoy hedhikaa treats would be OBLU SELECT Sangeli which could be regarded as a beach resort in Maldives where you can savour delectable foodie delights.
The distinctive boshi mashuni happens to be a banana flower salad that offers a combination of unique flavours for the diner. The principal ingredients of this zesty dish are the shredded and crunchy banana flowers as well as the freshly obtained coconut. Turmeric, curry leaves and cumin also add their flavours to this dish whilst the spices, local chilli and lime contribute to its tangy taste as well.
The Maldives has its share of delicious desserts and one of them would be saagu bondibai, or sago pudding. You will find that sago is an important element in the traditional diet of Maldivians and one of the outstanding dishes made from this ingredient would be saagu bondibai. This dish features plenty of condensed milk and creamy coconut milk as well as exotic flavours like rose and cardamom.
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
