Maskurolhi

Ingredients

Fish

• 200 gvalhoamas, Maldives smoked dried tuna, or 200 g cooked tuna

Coconut

• 150 gfreshly grated coconut

To pound in

• 1small onion, roughly chopped
• 4island chillies, or bird’s eye chillies
• 1/2 tspsalt
• juice of 2 limes
• a few curry leaves, if wanted

To serve

• kandu kukulhu rice porridge, or plain rice congee
• roshi flatbread

Equipment

• a mortar and pestle, or a heavy bowl and a wooden pestle

Directions

1. Break the hard fish into small pieces with a heavy knife or a hammer. Soak it in warm water for ten minutes to soften it slightly. Drain it and squeeze out the water. Do not soak it longer, since you would wash out the flavour you are paying for.
2. Crack a mature coconut and prise the flesh out of the shell. Grate it on the fine side of a box grater. Desiccated coconut can be used but must be rehydrated first.
3. Cover desiccated coconut with warm water for ten minutes and squeeze it out. Put the chopped onion, chillies and salt in the mortar first. Pound them together into a rough paste. Add the curry leaves now if you are using them. Add the broken fish next and keep pounding.
4. Work it until the fish has broken down into shreds. This takes a few minutes of steady work. Add the grated coconut a handful at a time. Pound and turn the mixture after each addition.
5. Keep pounding until the mixture holds together in a mass. Judging the texture tells you when to stop. Squeeze a little in your hand: it should hold its shape. Finishing it is done off the pestle.
6. Squeeze the lime juice over the pounded mixture. Work it through with the pestle or with your fingers. Taste it and adjust the salt, lime and chilli. It should be salty, sour and hot, in that order. Shape it into a mound or into small balls.
7. Serve it beside a bowl of hot rice porridge. It keeps for two days in the fridge in a sealed container.

Technique

• Do not over-soak the dried fish, since you wash out the flavour you paid for.
• Pound until the coconut releases its oil, which is what binds the paste.
• It should stay a paste with visible strands, not a smooth purée.

Substitutions

• Maldive fish, sold in Sri Lankan shops, in place of valhoamas.
• Desiccated coconut rehydrated in warm water, if fresh is unavailable.

Variations

• Mas huni, the flakier mixed version eaten at breakfast.
• Made with fresh cooked tuna rather than dried.
• With more chilli, which is common on the islands.

History

A daily Maldivian relish made from the same three island staples: fish, coconut and chilli.

Frequently asked questions

What is Maskurolhi?

Maskurolhi is a sauce & condiment from Maldives: pounded paste of tuna, coconut, chilli and lime eaten with rice congee. A daily Maldivian relish made from the same three island staples: fish, coconut and chilli.

How long does Maskurolhi take to make?

Maskurolhi takes 25 min of preparation and 10 min of cooking. The recipe makes 1 bowl. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Maskurolhi?

Yes, within limits. Maldive fish, sold in Sri Lankan shops, in place of valhoamas. Desiccated coconut rehydrated in warm water, if fresh is unavailable.

What is the most important thing to get right in Maskurolhi?

Break the hard fish into small pieces with a heavy knife or a hammer. Soak it in warm water for ten minutes to soften it slightly. Drain it and squeeze out the water. Do not soak it longer, since you would wash out the flavour you are paying for.