Kulhi boakiba recipe: spicy Maldivian fish cake

In Dhivehi, *kulhi* means spicy and *boakiba* means cake. The word boakiba covers a family of baked or steamed cakes, some savoury and some sweet. The spicy fish version is the one most visitors meet first.

The texture sits somewhere between a frittata and a firm savoury pudding. It holds its shape when sliced, but it is soft inside, with a golden, slightly crisp top and edges. The flavour is built on the same few things that run through Maldivian cooking: tuna, coconut, onion, chilli, curry leaves and lime. If you have tried mas huni at breakfast, you will recognise the family resemblance.

Eid morning

Kulhi boakiba is most closely tied to Eid. Families usually bake it the day before, and it is served at the Eid breakfast after the dawn prayers, alongside other short eats and sweet dishes. National media reporting on Eid traditions note that many people feel the morning is not complete without it, and that orders for it rise sharply in Malé in the days before the holiday. Some elders say it tastes best baked over a wood fire, the way it was done before ovens were common on the islands.

On some islands there is even a traditional Eid game built around it, *boakiba foruvun* or “hiding the boakiba”. Women hide the cakes on Eid morning; if they keep them safe until breakfast they win, and if the men find them first, the men eat them.

If you are on a local island over Eid, see the site’s pages on Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.

Tea time and the rest of the year

Outside Eid, kulhi boakiba is part of hedhikaa, the short eats served with tea in the late afternoon. Tea shops on local islands often sell it by the slice when the trays come out, usually with black tea or sweet milky tea. Families also make it for gatherings and special occasions.

This makes one tray of about 20 x 20 cm, enough for 12 to 16 squares.

For the base

• 1 cup (about 200 g) uncooked white rice, or 1 cup rice flour
• 300 g tuna: cooked fresh tuna, smoked tuna, or two tins of tuna in brine, drained well
• 1½ cups freshly grated coconut (frozen grated coconut, thawed, works fine)
• 2 eggs (optional, see notes)
• About ½ cup water or thin coconut milk, as needed

For the flavouring

• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 3–4 fresh green or red chillies, finely chopped (or to taste)
• A thumb-sized piece of ginger, finely grated
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed (optional)
• 2 sprigs curry leaves (about 20 leaves), shredded
• A small piece of pandan leaf, finely sliced (optional)
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• Juice of 1 lime
• Salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon coconut or vegetable oil, plus extra for the tin

1. Prepare the rice. If you are using whole rice, rinse it and soak it in cold water for at least 3 hours or overnight. Drain, then grind it in a blender with a splash of water to a thick, slightly gritty paste. If you are using rice flour, skip this step.

2. Prepare the tuna. Flake the tuna finely with a fork or your fingers, removing any skin and bones. Smoked tuna gives the deepest flavour; if it is very dry, grate it instead. Tinned tuna must be drained thoroughly or the cake will be soggy.

3. Soften the aromatics. Warm the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook gently for 5–6 minutes until soft and just colouring. Add the ginger, garlic, chilli and curry leaves and cook for another minute until fragrant. Leave to cool a little.

4. Make the batter. In a large bowl, combine the rice paste (or rice flour), tuna, grated coconut, turmeric and the cooked onion mixture. Rub it together with your fingers so the coconut and tuna are evenly spread.

5. Season and loosen. Add the lime juice and salt, and the beaten eggs if using. Add water or thin coconut milk a little at a time until you have a thick, spoonable batter, roughly like thick porridge. It should hold a shape on the spoon, not pour. Taste and adjust the salt, chilli and lime.

6. Heat the oven. Preheat it to 180°C (160°C fan). Oil a square baking tin and line the base with baking paper.

7. Fill the tin. Spoon in the batter and press it down evenly with the back of the spoon, to a depth of about 3–4 cm. Brush or drizzle a little oil over the top so it browns.

8. Bake. Bake for 40–50 minutes, until the top is deep golden, the edges have pulled away from the tin and a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean.

9. Rest and cut. Leave it in the tin for at least 15 minutes. It firms up as it cools and will crumble if you cut it hot. Turn it out and cut into squares or diamonds.

• Too wet? Usually undrained tinned tuna or too much liquid in step 5. Bake a little longer and cool fully before cutting.
• Too dry? Add a little more coconut milk or an extra egg next time.
• Rice: soaked and ground rice is the traditional route and gives a slightly coarser, more satisfying bite. Rice flour is quicker and gives a smoother cake.
• Heat: Maldivian versions can be properly hot. Start with less chilli if you are cooking for children, and serve a chilli and lime sambal on the side for those who want more.
• No oven? Cook it in a heavy covered pan on a very low heat; it takes longer and browns less on top.

• Serve at room temperature or just warm, with black tea or sweet milky tea, as Maldivians do at hedhikaa time.
• Pair it with other short eats such as gulha or bajiya for a tea-time spread, or with fruit for a light breakfast.
• Store covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. It also freezes well in slices; reheat gently in a low oven so the edges crisp again.

The easiest way to taste kulhi boakiba before you cook it is at a tea shop or café on a local island in the late afternoon, when short eats are put out. Ask for it by name; staff are used to visitors pointing at trays. Our guide to food in Dhiffushi covers what to look for on the island, and the food and drink section lists where to eat.

During Ramadan, cafés may be closed in daylight but fill up after sunset; see Ramadan in the Maldives.

For more Maldivian cooking, try the garudhiya recipe, a clear tuna broth, or the mas riha recipe for tuna curry. Our wider guide to Maldivian food and dishes to try puts them all in context.