COPPERFihunu mas recipe
A whole Maldivian reef fish slashed to the bone, packed with a red paste of chili, curry leaves and grated coconut, then grilled over charcoal.
Ingredients
- 1 whole reef fish
- 2 tsp red chili powder
- 3 clove garlic
- 20 g ginger
- 10 curry leaves
- 2 tbsp grated coconut
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 onion
- 1 tsp salt
How to make Fihunu mas
- Scale and gut a whole reef fish of about 1 kg, grouper, snapper or skipjack tuna, then rinse and pat it dry.
- Cut deep diagonal slashes down to the bone on both sides and rub 1 tsp salt into them.
- Grind 1 onion, 3 garlic cloves, 20 g ginger, 10 curry leaves, 2 tbsp grated coconut, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp chili powder and 1 tsp black peppercorns with 5 tbsp water into a thick red paste.
- Coat the fish with the paste and push it right into every slash and into the belly cavity, then leave it 30 minutes.
- Wrap the fish in banana leaf if you can get it, which keeps the flesh moist over the fire.
- Grill over charcoal 10 to 12 minutes per side, turning once, until the paste darkens and the flesh flakes away from the bone.
- Without a grill, bake it at 200 C for 40 to 45 minutes until reddish with browned patches on top.
- Serve with steamed rice and a raw salad of onion, chili and lime.
What is Fihunu mas?
Fihunu mas is a traditional dish from Maldives, baked in the oven, and takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes from start to finish. It is built around ginger. The recipe below uses 10 ingredients and is written out step by step.
How long does Fihunu mas take?
At 75 minutes it is quicker than 70% of the 586 dishes in Copper's atlas. Copper's atlas has 51 dishes built on ginger. The method runs to 8 steps, the longest being 45 minutes.
Any tips for making Fihunu mas?
Slash the fish down to the bone and push the paste into every cut and the belly; a banana leaf wrap keeps the flesh moist over the fire.
How Fihunu mas compares
Hard to find elsewhere: whole reef fish (1) and red chili powder (2).
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