Masroshi recipe: Maldivian stuffed flatbread

The name puts together two everyday Dhivehi words: *mas* (fish, which in the Maldives nearly always means tuna) and *roshi*, the thin, unleavened flatbread eaten with curries across the islands. Masroshi is roshi with the fish tucked inside.

It belongs to hedhikaa, the family of short eats served with sweet tea. Maldivian national news describes it as a popular short eat that looks like a flatbread but hides a filling of smoked tuna, coconut, curry leaves and onion. Unlike gulha or bajiya, it is usually not deep-fried, so it is one of the lighter things on the tray.

Pan or oven

• Pan-cooked masroshi are dry-roasted on a flat pan or griddle, like roshi itself. They come out soft, with brown freckles on both sides.
• Baked masroshi are cooked on a tray in the oven, often brushed with a little oil, and have a slightly firmer, more golden crust. Many tea shops bake them in batches.

The recipe below gives both.

This makes about 12 masroshi, each roughly the size of a saucer.

For the filling

• 200 g smoked tuna, finely flaked, or two small tins of tuna in brine, very well drained
• 1 cup freshly grated coconut (frozen and thawed is fine; unsweetened desiccated coconut soaked in a little warm water works at a pinch)
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2–3 green chillies, finely chopped (or to taste)
• A small piece of ginger, grated
• 1 sprig curry leaves (about 10 leaves), shredded
• 1 tablespoon coconut or vegetable oil
• Juice of ½ lime
• Salt to taste

For the dough

• 2 cups plain wheat flour, plus a little for dusting
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon coconut or vegetable oil
• About ¾ cup warm water, added a little at a time

1. Soften the aromatics. Warm the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the curry leaves and let them crackle for a few seconds, then add the onion, ginger and chilli. Cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring, until the onion is soft but not brown.

2. Make the filling. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the tuna and coconut. Add the lime juice and salt, mix well and taste. It should be savoury, bright and gently hot. Leave it to cool completely; warm filling makes the dough sticky and hard to seal.

3. Mix the dough. In a bowl, combine the flour and salt. Rub in the oil with your fingertips, then add the warm water gradually, mixing with your hand, until you have a soft dough that does not stick to your fingers.

4. Knead and rest. Knead for 4–5 minutes until smooth and stretchy. Cover and leave it for at least 20 minutes. Resting relaxes the dough, so it rolls thin without springing back.

5. Divide it. Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each into a ball. Keep them covered with a damp cloth.

6. Fill each one. Flatten a ball in your palm into a round about 10 cm across, a little thinner at the edges. Put about 2 tablespoons of filling in the centre.

7. Seal. Gather the edges up over the filling and pinch them firmly together at the top, like closing a purse. Twist off any thick knot of excess dough.

8. Flatten. Turn the parcel seam side down on a lightly floured board. Press it gently with your fingers, then roll it lightly into a round about 1 cm thick and 10–12 cm across. Go slowly; if the filling shows through, patch it with a pinch of dough.

9. Cook on the pan. Heat a heavy flat pan over a medium heat with no oil. Cook each masroshi for 3–4 minutes a side, turning once or twice, until the dough is cooked through and speckled brown. Press the edges down with a spatula so they cook evenly.

10. Or bake them. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Lay the masroshi on a lined tray, brush the tops with a little oil and bake for 15–20 minutes, turning halfway, until golden.

11. Rest and serve. Stack the cooked masroshi under a clean cloth for a few minutes. This keeps them soft and lets the filling settle.

• Keep the filling dry and cool. Drain tinned tuna well and press it in a sieve. A wet filling soaks the dough and can split it.
• Do not overfill. Two tablespoons is plenty. Too much filling makes the parcels burst when you roll them flat.
• Medium heat on the pan. If the pan is too hot, the outside scorches before the dough inside is cooked. Brown freckles are what you want, not black patches.

For a fish-free version, replace the tuna with mashed potato or finely chopped cooked vegetables and keep the coconut, onion, chilli and curry leaves. It is not traditional, but it is good; see vegetarian and vegan food in the Maldives.

• Serve warm or at room temperature with hot, sweet tea, as Maldivians do. A squeeze of lime and a fresh chilli on the side are welcome.
• Make a spread. Masroshi sit well beside gulha, the fried tuna dumplings, and kulhi boakiba, the spicy baked tuna cake. For something sweet, add bondibaiy, the Maldivian rice pudding.
• Store cooled masroshi in a covered container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Warm them on a dry pan for a minute a side or in a low oven; the microwave makes the crust rubbery.

Masroshi is everyday food, made at home and sold from the counters of tea shops in Malé and across the islands. Like most short eats, it starts with the same flavour base that runs through Maldivian cooking: tuna, coconut, onion, chilli and lime, the mix you also taste in mas huni at breakfast.

In Ramadan, masroshi is a familiar sight on iftar tables. After the fast is broken at sunset with dates and water, families share plates of short eats before a fuller meal later. If you travel then, read Ramadan in the Maldives first: on local islands, don’t eat, drink or smoke in public during daylight.

The easiest way to try masroshi before you cook it is at a tea shop on a local island in the late afternoon, when the counters are freshly stocked. Pay in rufiyaa for small amounts, and ask what has just come out of the kitchen.

On Dhiffushi, short eats turn up in the island’s cafés and tea shops alongside tea and fresh juice. Our guide to food in Dhiffushi covers what to look for, and the food and drink section lists places to eat. For more dishes to try, see Maldivian food and dishes to try.