Rihaakuru Dhiya

Rihaakuru dhiya is a very simple salty, spicy, creamy liquid mixture made to eat with rice or boiled taro or boiled unripe banana, breadfruit with grated coconut. It's eaten for lunch or dinner. Already rihaakuru is explained in the internet so I won’t go for an explanation about it. Traditional way of making Rihaakuru dhiya is by crushing sliced onion, chillies, curry leaves with lime juice and salt using finger tips and then adding all other ingredients accept dried fish. Dried fish is just my combination. It brings a different taste which I love. Using a food processor will make the entire flavor’s mix well. So here is my way of making Rihaakuru Dhiya.

Ingredients:

4 cups fresh thick coconut milk

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp good quality rihaakuru (thick fish paste)

1 pkt dried fish (optional)

1 medium onion (chopped)

4 dry roasted dry red chillies

1/2 of fresh chilly (githeyomirus)

Juice of 1 big lime

6 curry leaves

11/2 tsp salt

Method:

1_ In a food processor or grinder add onion, dried chilly, fresh chilly (chillies depends on how spicy you want it), curry leaves and dried fish, process until all the dried fish is in very small bits. Into this add half cup coconut milk, rihaakuru and lime juice, again process for one minute.

2_ Add this processed coconut milk into the rest of coconut milk and mix. Taste and adjust salt. Serve with rice or boiled taro or breadfruit and grated fresh coconut, smoked fish and a table spoon of home made lonumirus.  

Kankun Beef

Kankun or morning glory (Ipomoea aquatica) also known as water spinach and water convolvulus or swamp cabbage is a popular greens in East and Southeast Asia. This leafy green consider as poor's man dish since it's very cheap and available widely in East and Southeast Asia.

 I think kankun was introduced to Maldives may be since 10 years. Now it’s available at the market, stores and local shops. A bunch weighing around hundred grams will cost around Eight Maldivian Rufiya. The leaves and tender tops are often stir-fried with some kind of sauce and meat or dried tuna. Kankun dishes are so easy and fast to prepare, as well it’s very healthy. Today I made kakun beef, just love the taste. I love this dish with rice and dall curry.  

Ingredients:

200 grams kankun leaves (Pick cleaned and washed)

250 grams tenderloin beef, thinly sliced

1 big onion sliced

2 cloves garlic sliced

4 dry chilies (each cut in to 3 )

2 tbs dark soy sauce

1 tbs Oyster sauce

½ tsp pepper powder

4 tbs vegetable oil

¾ tsp salt

Method:

1_ In a bowl add beef 1 table spoon soy sauce, oyster sauce and pepper powder, leave to marinate for 30 minutes.

2_ In a very hot wok or a pan add oil, onion, dry chilly and garlic, sauté until onion gets soft. In to this add marinated beef and sauté for 5 minutes, you can see beef getting cooked. Lower heat of stove to very low and cover beef mixture with lid. Cook covered until beef is tender, this will take 20 to 30 minutes.

3_ when beef is tender tip all kankun leaves, remaining soy sauce and salt stir fry for few minutes and remove from heat……………………. Enjoy! 

Kashmiri Chicken Pulao (Eid Special)

Did you notice the gap? the gap which went without posting any recipe, well my readers should because since Ramadan started I was posting recipes more regularly than before. The reason is I made a quick trip to Hong Kong with my mum and daughter. I will be posting more about the trip in my next post. Back to recipe.

Just for Ramadan some restaurants introduced iftar packages.One of the package had a Kashmiri pulao which took my total attention, so I brought this option for a busy day iftar, because the name sounds kind of special which made me want to taste it but when I saw this rice I knew it was just plain vegetable fried rice. I thought to my self is Kashmiri Pulao just this simple? I started my research and came up with a little bit Maldivian style of Kashmiri Pulao.  Since Eid is just few days away, I wanted to post special dishes for Eid. I did prepare this dish some days back, tasted more like a special biryani. This dish will be great for Eid lunch or any other special occasion.

Ingredients

2 cups basmati rice

1 900 grms chicken (cleaned, skin removed and chopped curry style)

3 teaspoon cumin powder

4 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon black pepper powder

1 tsp allspice powder

1 teaspoon red chilli powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

4 pods of green cardamom

2 sticks of cinnamon

4 cloves

3 cloves of chopped garlic

1 inch ginger chopped

1 fresh chilly (githeyomirus) chopped

170 grms yoghurt

2 medium onions (sliced)

3 springs curry leaves

4 piece pandan leaf

¾ cup vegetable oil

3 cups water

2 1/3 tsp salt

1/4 cup dried raisins

1/4 cup dried fruits

Directions

1. Wash rice properly and soak it in water for 20 minutes.

2.  Put yogurt into a bowl and add salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, all spice powder and black pepper powder, Whisk the yogurt nicely and keep it aside.

3. Heat 1/3 cup oil in a pan, add onion, curry leaves, pandan leaves, chilly, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, chopped garlic, ginger and saute until slightly brown.

4. Add the whisked yogurt mixture and saute, cook for 2 minutes and once you see oil floating up.

5. Add the chicken pieces, 3 cups water close pan with lid and cook for 20 minutes on medium heat.

6. When the chicken is cooked, add rice, dried raisins and fruits into the chicken and give a stir, at this stage if you think the chicken stock is not enough to cook rice add enough water and allow it to cook on low heat covered with lid.

7. When cooked fluff with a fork and serve hot.

Serves: 5

Hello! Please do not use my photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and link back to the source recipe on my blog.Thank you! 

Chicken Fried Vermicelli Noodles

I am sure most of us love Noodles as it often helps to fill our hungry stomach in less than 10 minutes of preparation and we get to enjoy it during anytime of the day. Plus the best part of it is we get to add in whatever we like or find in the fridge too. Although I love to cook but there are also times when I just feel like having some comfort food which are easy to prepare.

But at certain points I am also quite particular with the brand of noodles, method of cooking as well as the accompany ingredients. So most of the time, I would just stock the few of our favorite brands which we have being eating for years. Like one of my family favorite is Maggie brand.

For this recipe I used vermicelli noodles, vermicelli noodles doesn’t come with a spice or soup sachet, so mostly some kind of sauce has to be prepared to mix with noodles while stir frying with favorite veggies or meat. For this recipe I tried to maintain Asian flavor as much as I can, with all favorite veggies. My family loved this noodles. 

Ingredients:

80 grms Vermicelli

1 breast chicken (cut into bite size pieces)

1 medium carrot (cut into strips)

7 beans (cut into 1inch pieces)

1 small onion (chopped)

1 tsp chopped ginger

Chillies (chopped)

11/2 tbsp Chinese chilli paste

3 tbsp oyster sauce

1 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce

3 tbsp Thai sweet chilli sauce

1/2 of a meggie chicken stock cube

½ tsp salt

½ cup vegetable oil

Direction:

1_ In a sauce pan or wok heat four table spoons of oil, add onion, ginger and chicken, stir fry until all water evaporates and chicken gets a light brown color, transfer chicken mixture to a plate.

2_ In the same wok add 3 tablespoon of oil, add beans, carrots and chilly, stir fry on high heat for 5 minutes, don’t let the color of vegetables change. Lower the heat to medium and add Chinese chilli paste, ouster sauce, dark soy sauce, Thai sweet chilli sauce, salt and crumble chicken stock half cube too. Stir constantly and cook for 2 minutes, into this sauce add fried chicken mixture. Mix until chicken is well coated with the sauce, leave aside.

3_ Prepare vermicelli noodles as written on the package. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a wok on medium heat add prepared vermicelli noodles toss and stir fry for 3 minutes. Add chicken sauce mixture, gently mix to combine everything. Serve hot …………….enjoy!

Servings- 2

Hello! Please do not use my photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and link back to the source recipe on my blog.Thank you! 

Tomato Paste Fried Rice with Dried Tuna Chips

This is a very simple recipe that requires only a few ingredients from the pantry. It's a blend of tomato paste and dried tuna chips with cooked rice and a few other typical Maldivian spices. I used normal big grain rice, but really any rice would do. So next time you’re in the mood for a “hikimas” (dried tuna) dish, whip up some of this! It is quick, easy to make and tastes absolutely delicious!

Ingredients:

1 big onion (sliced)

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

12 curry leafs

4 dry chilly (cut into pieces)

200 grms dried tuna chips

4 tbs tomato paste

1 tbs dark soy sauce

½ tsp pepper powder

1 tsp lonumirus curry powder

4 cups cooked rice

Salt

¼ cup vegetable oil

Method:

1_ In a sauce pan or wok heat oil and add onion, ginger garlic paste, curry leafs, dry chilly and sauté until light brown.

2_ Now add dry tuna chips sauté for few minutes, add tomato paste, dark soy, lonumirus curry powder and sauté again until everything is mixed.

3_ Add rice, pepper powder mix well, season with salt and serve…………….. enjoy!