Kulhi Roshi

Kulhi roshi is a spicy, rihaakuru-added version of the Maldivian flatbread roshi, which is deep fried to make chips. This is a staple snack for teatime in the Maldives and is often given as a gift to friends and family nowadays.

For frying the kulhi roshi, we have used Basso Olive Pomace Oil provided to us by one of our partners, Standard and Origin (S&O). The Basso Olive Pomace Oil is great for both deep and shallow frying as it has a very high smoke point. It also doesn’t leave fried food with a greasy, oily aftertaste, unlike some other types of oil. 

Serving size: 5-6

Ingredients:

• 3 large onions
• 1 ½ scotch bonnet
• 6 garlic cloves
• ½ inch piece of ginger
• 10 dried red chillis
• 5 whole curry leaves
• 2 tsp cumin powder
• 2 ½ tsp chilli powder
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp rihaakuru
• 380g flour
• ½ tbsp Basso Olive Pomace Oil (for making the dough)
• 2 ½ cups Basso Olive Pomace Oil (for frying the kulhi roshi)

Instructions:

1. First, cut the 3 large onions, 1 ½ scotch bonnet, 6 garlic cloves, and ½ inch ginger piece into chunks and add to a blender.
2. Next, add in 10 dried red chillis, 5 whole curry leaves, 2 tsp cumin powder, 2 ½ tsp chilli powder, 2 tsp salt, and 1/8 turmeric powder to the blender. Blend everything together at high speed for around 1 minute or until it becomes a semi-liquid paste.
3. Then, add 1 tbsp water along with 1 tbsp + 1 tsp rihaakuru and blend again for 30 seconds or until the mixture is smooth and well combined. Set aside.
4. Sift 380g flour into a large bowl.
5. Pour the blended spice mixture into the bowl with the sifted flour and mix it in using a spatula.
6. Once it is half-combined with the flour, start kneading the dough using your hands until you get a smooth, dry dough.  The dough is fully kneaded when you poke it, and it bounces back to shape without sticking to your finger.
7. Then, rub ½ tbsp of Basso Olive Pomace Oil on the dough and knead to mix it in.
8. Make small balls, around 1 ½ inch in diameter, from the dough. You can make around 11-13 dough balls.
9. Roll the dough balls into circles, just a little bit thicker than normal roshi.
10. Heat a pan to medium-high and cook the rolled dough for 25-35 seconds on each side or just until it doesn’t stick to the pan anymore. It will be half-cooked at this point.    
11. Then, cut the half-baked kulhi roshi into rough rectangles of around 2-inches in length. Set aside.
12. Add 2 cups Basso Olive Pomace Oil to a pot and heat it up to high. Check whether the oil is fully heated by placing a small piece of kulhi roshi in it; if small bubbles start rapidly forming around the dough, then the oil is ready for frying.
13. Turn the heat down to medium and add a handful of kulhi roshi into the oil. Putting too much in at once will prevent the dough from frying evenly.
14. Deep fry for around 1.5 to 2 minutes until the dough turns into a light golden colour.
15. Remove the kulhi roshi from the oil with a deep-frying spoon and place in an oil draining basket. The colour will darken to a reddish brown while it cools down. Once fully cooled down after frying, they will become really crispy, enough to snap when you break.
16. Repeat steps 12-14 until all the half-baked kulhi roshi has been fried.

Click here to watch the Video Recipe.