Bondibaiy recipe: Maldivian sweet rice pudding

The word bondibaiy (also spelled bondibai) refers to sweetened rice. You will see both spellings, because Dhivehi is written in its own Thaana script and there is no single agreed way to write it in Latin letters. The plain rice version is the one most people mean, but the name stretches to a small family of sweets cooked the same way. You may meet:

• Rice bondibaiy, the classic: soft rice in thick, sweet coconut milk.
• Saagu bondibaiy, made with sago pearls instead of rice, often with pandan and rosewater.
• Banbukeyo bondibaiy, made with small cubes of breadfruit cooked down in sugar until golden and translucent. The Edition has described it as one of the richest treats in Maldivian cooking.

The texture of rice bondibaiy depends on the cook. Some like it loose and spoonable, like a creamy porridge. Others cook it until it is thick enough to hold its shape in a bowl. Both are right.

Bondibaiy belongs to good days. It is made for weddings, Eid, graduations, baby naming ceremonies and family gatherings, and large pots are shared out among relatives and neighbours. The Edition lists all of these occasions in its writing on the dish.

What surprises visitors is how it is served. Bondibaiy is rarely eaten alone. It comes with something salty or spicy beside it: a dry tuna curry, or crisp smoked tuna chips (*valhomas*). A spoon of sweet coconut rice, then a bite of fish, is the Maldivian way. It is also eaten on its own as a gentle sweet after a hot meal.

It often shares the table with hedhikaa, the short eats served with tea, even though it is not strictly a snack. If you are on a local island over the holidays, the site’s page on Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr explains what happens and when.

This serves 4 to 6 as a sweet, or more as part of a spread.

For the pudding

• 1 cup (about 200 g) short-grain or medium-grain white rice
• 3 cups (about 750 ml) water
• 1 tin (400 ml) coconut milk, or the same amount of thin milk pressed from fresh coconut
• 1 small tin or carton (about 200 ml) coconut cream, or thick first-press coconut milk
• ¾ cup (about 150 g) sugar, white or light brown, or to taste
• A pinch of salt

For the flavour

• 5–6 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 1 pandan leaf, tied in a knot (optional but very Maldivian)
• 1–2 teaspoons rosewater (optional)
• A small piece of cinnamon stick (optional)

To serve (the savoury side)

• Smoked tuna chips, a dry tuna curry, or simply some mas huni

1. Rinse the rice. Put the rice in a bowl, cover it with water, swirl and pour off. Repeat two or three times until the water runs nearly clear. Drain well.

2. Cook the rice in water. Put the rice and the 3 cups of water in a heavy-based pan. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer, uncovered, for about 15–20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the grains are soft and most of the water has gone.

3. Add the thin coconut milk. Pour in the tin of coconut milk, add the cardamom, pandan knot, cinnamon if using, and the pinch of salt. Keep the heat low. Stir often, scraping the base, for another 15–20 minutes. The rice should start to break down at the edges and the mixture should thicken.

4. Add the sugar. Stir in the sugar a little at a time and let it dissolve. Taste as you go; Maldivian bondibaiy is quite sweet, but you can stop earlier. The mixture will loosen a little when the sugar melts, then thicken again.

5. Finish with the thick milk. Stir in the coconut cream and cook gently for a final 5–10 minutes. Don’t let it boil hard now, or the cream can split and turn oily. Stop when it is as thick as you like it, bearing in mind that it sets more as it cools.

6. Scent and rest. Take the pan off the heat. Fish out the pandan leaf, cinnamon and, if you can find them, the cardamom pods. Stir in the rosewater, if using, a teaspoon at a time; a little goes a long way. Leave it to stand for 10 minutes.

7. Serve. Spoon into bowls or onto a shallow plate, warm or at room temperature, with the savoury side dish next to it.

• Rice choice: a short or medium grain gives the creamiest result. Long-grain rice works, but the grains stay more separate.
• Too thick? Loosen with a splash of warm water or coconut milk. Too thin? Simmer a few minutes longer, stirring all the time.
• Catching on the base: coconut milk and sugar burn easily. Use a heavy pan, keep the heat low after step 2, and stir right to the bottom.
• Fresh coconut: if you have a fresh coconut, grate it, squeeze it with a little warm water for the thick milk, then add more water and squeeze again for the thin milk. This is how it is done at home on the islands.
• Sago version: swap the rice for about ½ cup of small sago pearls, soaked for 20 minutes. Sago cooks much faster, so add the coconut milk once the pearls turn clear.
• Lighter sweetness: use less sugar and serve it with fruit, such as ripe mango or banana.

• Serve warm on the day it is made, or at room temperature. Many people prefer it the next day, when it has set a little.
• Pair it with savoury food, as Maldivians do: smoked tuna, a dry curry, or a tray of short eats such as gulha or kulhi boakiba.
• Store covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. It firms up when cold; warm it gently with a splash of water or coconut milk, stirring, to bring it back.

Bondibaiy is home food more than café food. You are most likely to taste it when a family celebration is under way, around Eid, or when a guesthouse host makes a pot to share. Some local cafés and tea shops also offer it or a sago version from time to time. In Dhiffushi, our guide to food in Dhiffushi lists the sweets to look out for, and the food and drink section shows where to eat.

For more Maldivian home cooking, try the garudhiya recipe or the mas riha recipe, and see Maldivian food and dishes to try for the bigger picture.