Culinary Inspiration & Test Kitchen
Recipes & Dishes
Crafted with our direct-imported ingredients — step-by-step culinary guides designed for Maldivian home cooks, resort chefs, and food enthusiasts.
Tuna Sandwich
The tuna sandwich needs no introduction in a Maldivian kitchen — it is the sandwich most of us grew up on. Tuna, onion and mayonnaise, bound together and finished with a slice of cheese, and best eaten with a hot cup of black tea. The filling here is made with Remia Mayonnaise, part of the Remia range we distribute across the Maldives. It whips up creamy, fluffy and light, and the same jar will carry you through most sandwich fillings and salads you care to make. Makes : 7 sandwiches
Saagu Kan’dhi
Kan'dhi is Maldivian comfort food at its plainest and best — something close to a sweet porridge. This saagu kan'dhi is mostly sago, sugar and coconut milk, and though it is simple to make, pandan, cardamom, cinnamon and rose water give it real depth. We make ours with Real Thai Coconut Milk, one of the Real Thai lines we import. It is 100% fresh coconut milk, not from concentrate and with no added colour, and it carries just as well into curries, sweets and drinks. Serving size: 5-6
Mas Banas (with Bruggeman Instant Yeast)
Mas Banas is the Maldivian answer to Sri Lanka's Maalu Paan — a savoury bun packed with spiced tuna and potato, and a tea-time favourite that genuinely fills you up. The dough rises on Bruggeman Instant Yeast, one of the baking staples we supply across the Maldives. It is known for its stability across baking techniques, and the box holds 5 sachets of 11 grams, which suits a small batch like this.
Maldivian Kulhi Riha
Kulhi Riha is the spicy Maldivian tuna curry that households have leaned on for generations, served with roshi or rice. Bilimbi is traditional, but lime steps in perfectly well when you cannot find any. Coconut milk is the ingredient that decides how good it turns out, so it is worth using a creamy one — ours is Real Thai Coconut Milk, from the Real Thai range we import. It is 100% fresh coconut milk, not from concentrate and with no added colour, and it works across curries, sweets and drinks. Serving size: 3-4
Kandu Kukulhu (with Real Thai Coconut Milk)
Of all the Maldivian tuna curries, Kandu Kukulhu may be the most prized — the name translates to “chicken of the sea,” which tells you where it sits. It is a bold, well-spiced curry and a fixture in many households. Ours came out with a good amount of heat, so ease back on the chillies if you prefer it gentler. We make it with Real Thai Coconut Milk, one of the Real Thai lines we bring in. It is rich and creamy with a natural coconut flavour that rounds out the spices rather than competing with them.
Havaadhulee Bis (with Real Thai Coconut Milk)
Havaadhulee Bis takes time and runs through a fair few steps, so it can be daunting the first time — but the result more than repays the effort. This is a revised version of a recipe first published years ago, with the steps simplified and the flavours adjusted. We make it with Real Thai Coconut Milk, part of the Real Thai range we distribute. It is 100% fresh coconut milk with no concentrate, equally at home in curries, sweets and drinks.
Hanaakuri Masdhalhu
Hanaakuri Havaadhu is a curry powder built by toasting spices on the stove, and it is what gives Hanaakuri Mas its unmistakable depth. Hanaakuri Masdhalhu borrows that same powder for something simpler and faster — toast the havaadhu yourself or reach for a store-bought one, either way this stays an easy dish. We served ours with Pillsbury Whole Wheat Roti, part of the Pillsbury range we supply across the Maldives. Made with Pillsbury Chakki Atta and shelf-stable, it needs nothing more than heating before it goes on the plate. Serving size: 2-3
Hanaakuri Boava
Octopus, cooked with a spice mixture toasted fresh at home — aromatic, properly spicy, and very good at breakfast or lunch. Alongside it we serve Pillsbury Multigrain Roti, from the Pillsbury range we distribute. It is a soft flatbread blended from whole wheat and other grains, quick to heat and a sensible everyday choice. Serving size: 2-3
Chichanda Kirugarudhiya
Kirugarudhiya is about as simple as a side dish gets — combine the ingredients with coconut milk and let it simmer until everything is through. This chichanda, or snake gourd, version is hearty enough to make a meal of with some roshi. We use Real Thai Coconut Milk, from the Real Thai range we import and distribute. It is 100% fresh coconut milk with no concentrate, and it moves easily between curries, sweets and drinks. Serving size: 2-3
Atta Roshi
A simple whole wheat roshi — soft, wholesome, and suited to just about any meal. A few basic ingredients is all it takes, and it sits well beside curries, rihaakuru or whatever else is on the table. Making it from scratch is far less daunting than it sounds. We use Pillsbury Chakki Atta, part of the Pillsbury range we distribute across the Maldives. The flour is finely milled, so the dough turns out soft and pliable — right for roshi, chapati and everyday flatbreads.