Bambukeyolee Baiy

There are so many ways we use breadfruit in the Maldivian cuisine. We cook it in curries such as Bambukeyo Sanneti, Bambukeyo Bongara and Bambukeylu Hithi. We make desserts from it such as Boakuri Bambukeyo and Bambukeyo Bondibaiy. And we love to snack on fried slices of breadfruit we call Theluli Bambukeyo.

Here we have the recipe for one of the most popular local rice dishes, Bambukeyolee Baiy. It’s a simple dish; rice is cooked with breadfruit and coconut milk. But serve it with some Rihaakuru Dhiya, or Garudhiya (Maldivian fish broth), some smoked tuna or Fihunu Mas, Lonumirus, and some fresh limes, chillies and onions and you have mouthwatering spectacular meal.

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

• ½ a small breadfruit (1&1/2 cups when cut into ½ inch pieces)
• 1 cup uncooked rice (we used ‘haruhandoo’*)
• 2 cups thin coconut milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. oil

Instructions:

1. Peel, core and wash the breadfruit. Cut it into small pieces. Ours were ½ inch wide and a quarter of an inch thick)
2. Wash the rice thoroughly (if you are using ‘haruhandoo’ you might have to go through it beforehand to remove any possible small stones and such). Add it to a pot along with the coconut milk, water, salt and oil. Cover the pot and bring the mixture to a boil.
3. Then lower the heat and cook until all water evaporates.
4. Switch off the stove, let it be for 5 minutes, fluff the rice with a fork and that’s it.