The Maldives – Traditional Fish Curry

by Fariha Saeed

About the dish

Fish curry is basically curried with fish in it but this is not a simple curry it is very unique and delicious. It is very famous in the Maldives. People love this curry as it is unique and very delicious this is also served at Weddings as the main course. This is also called unique curry. Fish curry is the specialty of the Maldives. The majority of the dishes in the Maldives have fish as an ingredient but this dish’s main ingredient is fish. People can eat this as breakfast, lunch, and dinner, they never get rid of this goodness. Everyone should try this once in their life. The aroma of it is so good that will make you droll. It contains some spices which are also called Maldivian spices. Maldivian spices make it special and appetizing. You can serve this with rice with some lemon juice and fresh coriander on top of it.

Fish

In this dish, you can use different types of dishes but the most famous are:

• Tuna
• Yellowfin tuna
• Mahi-mahi
• Wahoo
• Skipjack

These fishes are high in protein and have many benefits. These fishes taste so good they are juicy and flavorful. In restaurants, the most famous fish is Yellowfin tuna as it is a species of tuna. The meat of this fish is white. Yellowfin tuna is considered more flavorful than simple tuna because its meat is white, more smooth, and has a lot of texture. It contains fresh flavor.

Maldivian spices

Maldivian cuisine is basically spiced-up cuisine and this is what makes it Maldivian cuisine. There are many spices but some spices are:

• Maldivian chili
• cumin
• oregano
• smoked paprika
• nutmeg

Maldivian chili is one of the most famous spices in the Maldives. It has some kind of special spice in it. It is commonly used in dishes which you want to make spicy. It is a very hot chili

Cumin is a very common and significant part of almost every dish. The dish is incomplete without cumin. It adds nutty, freshness, and good flavor to any dish. There is another version of cumin which is called Smoky cumin it is mostly used in bar b q.

Oregano is another one of the most famous spices in the World. You can add oregano to any dish, you can never go wrong with oregano. It enhances the flavor of the dish.

Smoked paprika is very similar to simple paprika. Paprika is another type of chili. Smoked paprika is also very famous the smokey flavor of it tastes so good in any dish.

Nutmeg is commonly used for flavor and for color. It is very strong in taste. It is a multi-use spice it is used in many dishes.

Curry

Curry is also called gravy. Curry can be of anything like fish, chicken, vegetable, lentils, etc. It is very healthy and delicious, You can easily make it at home and it is also available at restaurants and street vendors. curry is gravy with spices and one main ingredient in it. They are usually thick in texture but they taste appetizing.

Nutrition list

• calories 125
• protein 9 g
• carbohydrates 213

History

In early times, when fish curry was cooked first the chef used simple tuna and it did not turn out really good. The fish was dry and did not has much texture. Sometime later a chef again tried the recipe with other types of fish but the best choice was yellowfin tuna because it was smooth in texture and taste so good in the curry and till now it is very famous.

Ingredients

• Yellowfin tuna 1 kg
• coconut cream 3 cups
• coconut milk 1 cup
• yogurt 8 tbsp
• water 1 cup
• maldivian chili 2 tsp
• cumin 1 tbsp
• ginger paste 1 tbsp
• salt 2 tsp
• oil1 cup

Cooking

Take a cooking pot and add the tuna and oil to it and saute it a little bit until golden brown in color. Now add the water and salt to it and let it cook for 20 minutes. Now add the ginger paste, salt, cumin, and Maldivian chili in it and fry it until the water dried out

When the water is dried then add the coconut milk, coconut cream, and yogurt in it and mix until all the things are fully combined.

Now cover the lid and let it cook for 10 minutes. Now open the lid and mix it and then serve with some fresh green coriander on top.