The Maldives – Aluvi Riha (Potato Curry)

by Fariha Saeed

About the dish

Aluvi Riha is one the most delicious dish in the Maldives. Aluvi Riha is also called potato curry because it has potato and gravy in it. The potatoes and the curry go very well together. The texture of potatoes is soft and the texture of curry is thin and creamy. The texture of tuna is soft and juicy. The curry has so much flavor in it. Different spices in the curry make the curry more flavorful. This is very popular in many countries like Indonesia, Bangladesh, Kuwait, etc. The fish in the curry taste so good with potatoes and the coconut milk in it adds a unique flavor. The coconut milk adds sweetness to the spicy curry. This dish is incomplete without fish. Fish is the most important part of this dish and you can only use tuna fish. Almost all of the dishes of the Maldives contain tuna except dessert. There is one more important thing about this dish is you have to use Maldivian chilis. The aroma of this dish makes you drool. The important components of the dish are Tuna, Maldivian chili, Potatoes, Coconut milk, Coconut cream, and spices without these the dish is incomplete. The potatoes and fish are the specialties of the dish. This dish is available in any restaurant in the Maldives. This dish is so easy to make at home. You can serve this to parties or any occasion as a starter or as a main course. You can serve this with

• Boiled rice
• roshi
• chappati
• Flatbread
• challah
• pita bread
• dinner rolls
• bagels

Some people like healthy foods if you also like healthy foods you can add different kinds of vegetables to it like eggplant, carrots, capsicum, peas, sweet potatoes, etc but the original recipe does not contain these kinds of vegetables. You can have this as lunch or dinner. The look of this dish is amazing it has a light yellow color. You can top it with some coconut cream and fresh coriander, green chili, and some mint leaves.

History

In early times, all the dishes of the Maldives contain coconut, coconut milk, and coconut cream either is the main course or dessert. Starchy items are also used in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries like taro, kattala, etc. Curries like Aluvi Riha were eaten with roshi or flatbread in old times.

Nutrition list

• Protein 7 g
• calories 213
• carbohydrates 167
• fat 8 g

Ingredients

• 1/2 kg Potatoes (boiled)
• 2 can tuna
• 1 cup tomato puree
• 3 Rampa leaves
• 1/2 cup Coconut milk
• 1/2 cup coconut cream
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp red chili
• 3 green chilies (chopped)
• 1 tbsp garlic paste
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1/2 cup oil
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• 2 onions (sliced)

Cooking

Take a pan and turn the heat on and then add oil, curry powder, onions, Rampa leaves, tuna and fry it for 5 minutes and then add the cconut milk and cover the lid for 10 minutes. Now take a deep cooking pot and add water, tuna and coconut cream in it and mix it for atleast 10 minutes.

Now add the onion mixture to the deep cooking pot and mix it. Now add the tomato puree to it and cover the lid for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes add salt, red chili and mix it. Now take another pan and add potatoes, garlic paste, ginger paste, green chili and fry for 10 minutes.

Now add the potatoes in it and again cover for 20 minutes and then serve with roshi.