Theluli Mas

Theluli Mas is one of those things from the Maldivian cuisine that can make any meal better. It can uplift a humble Muguriha meal, it’s great when you have Garudhiya and Rihaakuru Dhiya, it’s so good with just about any curry, and this list can go on an on. Below is our version of the Theluli Mas. Ours is in the low heat range so you should add more chilli if you want it to have more of a kick.

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

• 450 grams tuna
• 1/3 cup grated coconut
• 7 dried red chillies (or to taste)
• ½ small onion
• 1 garlic clove
• ¼ inch thick slice of ginger
• 1 tsp. whole fennel seeds
• 1 tsp. whole cumin seeds
• 1 tsp. whole peppercorns (or to taste)
• 1 tsp. salt (or to taste)
• 1 cup oil (for frying)

Instructions:

1. Cut the fish. Our pieces were ¼ inch wide. But the important thing is that all pieces have the same width so that they can cook evenly.
2. To your grinder, add all the ingredients except the oil and the fish. Chop the onion, garlic and ginger roughly before you put them in. Grind until you get a smooth paste. You can add a little bit of water if you feel like the mixture is too dry.
3. Rub the mixture onto the fish and make sure all the pieces have a nice coating. If you’ve washed the fish, it might be a good idea to get the water off them before you put the spice paste on them.
4. Heat the oil in a pot and once you are sure the oil is hot enough, add the fish and fry until they get that nice brown Theluli Mas colour. We actually fried ours in three batches. Keep the heat on medium throughout the cooking though, because if it’s too low the fish is going to come out greasy and if it’s too high it will just burn the fish.