Mas Banas (with Bruggeman Instant Yeast)

Mas Banas is the Maldivian version of Sri Lanka’s Maalu Paan. The savoury bun stuffed with spiced tuna and potatoes is quite a popular and filling tea-time treat.

For our recipe, we have used Bruggeman Instant Yeast provided to us by one of our partners, Sosun Fihaara. Bruggeman Instant Dry Yeast is known for its high stability making it suitable for various baking techniques. Each box includes 5 sachets of 11 grams, making it easy to use in small recipes.

Yield: 4 Mas Banas

Ingredients:

For the dough

• 1 ½ cups flour
• ¾ tsp Bruggeman Instant Yeast
• ¾ tsp sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• ¾ tbsp melted butter (at room temperature)
• ½ cup warm water
• 1 tsp oil (for oiling the bowl for the dough)

For the filling

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 thinly sliced onion (medium size)
• 5 thinly sliced curry leaves
• ½ thinly sliced scotch bonnet
• ¼ tsp grated ginger
• ¼ tsp grated garlic
• 1 tsp curry powder (we used chicken)
• ¾ tsp red chilli powder (or to taste)
• 1/8 tsp turmeric powder
• ½ can of tuna
• ½ cup boiled and mashed potatoes
• ¼ tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1 egg

Instructions:

1. Add 1 ½ cups flour, ¾ tsp Bruggeman Instant Yeast, ¾ tsp sugar and ½ tsp salt into a big bowl and mix well with a spoon.
2. Add ¾ tbsp melted butter (at room temperature) and give it a mix. Then mix using a spoon while adding ½ cup warm water gradually. The mixture is going to be a bit sticky, but not to the point that you cannot work with it.
3. Once you have added all the water, start kneading the dough. Knead until it is soft and comes together like a ball. For us, this took 5 minutes of kneading. If it’s sticking too much, you can add in a little bit of flour while kneading.
4. Rub 1 tsp oil on a clean bowl and place the kneaded dough in it. Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and let it rise for an hour.
5. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pot and add 1 thinly sliced onion (medium size), 5 thinly sliced curry leaves and ½ thinly sliced scotch bonnet.
6. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the onions become soft. Then add ¼ tsp grated ginger and ¼ tsp grated garlic.
7. Cook for another half a minute and then add the 1 tsp curry powder (we used chicken), ¾ tsp red chilli powder (or to taste) and 1/8 tsp turmeric powder.
8. Cook for a minute while stirring. Then add ½ a can of tuna, ½ cup boiled and mashed potatoes and ¼ tsp salt. Mix well to combine.
9. Remove from heat and let the mixture cool down. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions.
10. Prepare a baking tray by lining it with aluminium foil and rub a little bit of oil on it.
11. Back to the dough now. After you’ve let the dough rise for an hour, it should have doubled in size. Use your knuckles to punch it down to get rid of the excess air.
12. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. Lightly flour a surface and using your rolling pin, roll one of the portions to a circular shape. Aim for a diameter of around 5 inches.
13. Place a portion of the filling in the centre of the dough circle. Fold from two sides, one overlapping the other a little bit. Then fold the side that’s now open. You should have a nice triangular shape.
14. Place the stuffed bun on the tray you prepared. Cover the tray with a clean cloth; all the stuffed buns you prepare go under this cloth.
15. Repeat steps 12, 13 and 14 until you run out of dough and filling. Let the stuffed buns sit covered under the cloth for another 20 minutes.
16. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
17. Beat the egg in a separate bowl. Brush the tops of the stuffed buns with the egg generously.
18. Place the tray on the middle rack of the preheated oven and bake until the tops are golden brown. For us, this took 35 minutes, but the timing might be different for you as different ovens cook differently.