Rihaakuru

Ingredients

Fish

• 3 kgfresh skipjack tuna, cut into chunks

Also

• 3 litreswater
• 3 tbspsalt
• 6curry leaves
• 1onion, quartered
• 2pandan leaves, knotted

Optional

• 2dried chillies
• a piece of dried mango, if you have it

To serve

• steamed rice
• chopped onion, chilli and lime
• roshi, flatbread

Directions

1. Use fresh skipjack, which is the tuna the Maldivian fishery is built on. Put the fish, water, salt, curry leaves, onion and pandan in a very large heavy pot.
2. Bring it to a boil and skim the surface constantly for the first half hour. Skim it patiently and thoroughly, because everything left in concentrates as the liquid reduces.
3. Simmer for about an hour, until the fish is completely cooked and falling apart. Strain the broth through a fine sieve or a cloth back into the pot. Simmer it uncovered over a low heat for 10 to 12 hours.
4. Use a wide pot rather than a deep one, because evaporation is the point and surface area is what does it. For the first several hours it needs only occasional attention.
5. Taste a little on the tip of a spoon.
6. Take it off the heat and let it cool completely. Store it in a clean dry jar with a film of oil on top if you like, and it keeps for months at room temperature in the Maldives.
7. Serve it as a relish alongside rice, mixed at the table with finely chopped onion, chilli and lime.

Technique

• Bottled rihaakuru is sold in the Maldives and in Sri Lankan and Maldivian shops abroad.
• The same boiling produces Maldive fish, so the two products come from one process.
• It is used in small quantities because of how concentrated it is.

Substitutions

• Bottled rihaakuru, which is what almost everyone uses.
• A very reduced fish stock with fish sauce, which approximates the savour without the texture.

Variations

• Mixed with chilli and onion as rihaakuru folhi.
• Stirred into curries as a base.
• Eaten with roshi and tea for breakfast.

History

Thick brown paste left after boiling tuna stock down for hours; a by-product of the fishery that keeps for months and is eaten with rice.

Frequently asked questions

What is Rihaakuru?

Rihaakuru is a sauce & condiment from Maldives: thick brown paste from long-boiled tuna, intensely savory. Thick brown paste left after boiling tuna stock down for hours; a by-product of the fishery that keeps for months and is eaten with rice.

How long does Rihaakuru take to make?

Rihaakuru takes 20 min of preparation and 12 hr of cooking. The recipe makes about 500 g. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Rihaakuru?

Yes, within limits. Bottled rihaakuru, which is what almost everyone uses. A very reduced fish stock with fish sauce, which approximates the savour without the texture.

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

Use a wide pot rather than a deep one, because evaporation is the point and surface area is what does it. For the first several hours it needs only occasional attention.