Bajiya

Ingredients

Pastry

• 300 gplain flour
• 1 tspsalt
• 2 tbspoil
• about 160 ml warm water

Filling

• 300 gcooked tuna, flaked (tinned in water, well drained, is standard)
• 150 gfresh grated coconut, or desiccated coconut soaked in 4 tbsp hot water
• 1large onion, very finely chopped
• 2green chillies, finely chopped
• 10curry leaves, shredded
• 1 tspground black pepper
• ½ tspground turmeric
• juice of ½ lime
• 1 tspsalt

To fry

• oil for deep frying

Directions

1. Rub the oil into the flour and salt, then add water gradually and knead to a firm, smooth dough — firmer than a bread dough. Cover and rest for 30 minutes; unrested dough springs back and will not roll thin enough.
2. Squeeze the chopped onion in your fist over the sink to get the water out, then mix it with the tuna, coconut, chilli, curry leaves, pepper, turmeric, lime and salt. Taste it: the filling goes in raw and should already taste right.
3. Divide the dough into 8 balls and roll each into a thin round about 18 cm across. Cut each round in half.
4. Take a half-round, brush the straight edge with water, and roll it into a cone, overlapping the straight edges and pressing them firmly together. Hold the cone open, fill it two-thirds full, then brush the top edges and pinch them closed, working out any trapped air.
5. Heat the oil to 170°C (340°F) and fry the cones a few at a time for 4–5 minutes, turning, until evenly golden and blistered.
6. Drain on paper and serve warm, as part of a hedhika spread with tea.

Technique

• Wringing the onion out is the step that decides whether the pastry stays crisp. Wet filling steams the cone from the inside.
• Seal the cone properly and press out the air. A cone with a gap or a pocket of air will burst in the oil.

Substitutions

• Smoked or fresh cooked tuna both work; smoked gives the more traditional flavour.
• Desiccated coconut soaked in hot water stands in for fresh at a small cost in texture.

Variations

• Bajiya sits alongside gulha, keemia and masroshi on the hedhika (short eats) table, all built from the same tuna, coconut and onion mixture in different wrappings.

History

Cone-shaped fried pastry filled with tuna, coconut and onion, another standard item on the hedhika table.

Frequently asked questions

What is Bajiya?

Bajiya is a snack from Maldives: maldivian samosa stuffed with tuna, coconut and onion. Cone-shaped fried pastry filled with tuna, coconut and onion, another standard item on the hedhika table.

How long does Bajiya take to make?

Bajiya takes 45 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes makes 16. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Bajiya?

Yes, within limits. Smoked or fresh cooked tuna both work; smoked gives the more traditional flavour. Desiccated coconut soaked in hot water stands in for fresh at a small cost in texture.