Mas Bai / Maldivian fish rice / masbai by Zesty.MV

⁣Masbai is one of our favourite picnic lunch meals. I love to eat masbai when on fishing trips, beach day lunch or a picnic in some uninhabited island of the Maldives. I love to eat it in the beach near the sea where I can see the beach. However, I do love to eat masbai at home just to make the day special.

Ingredients:
- 4 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 nos. onion sliced (large)
- 4 nos. garlic cloves chopped
- 1 nos. thin ginger slice
- 10 nos. curry leaves
- 3 pcs. rampa leaf (2 inch each)
- 1/2 of scotch bonnet chilli (according to your taste)
- 2 fresh green chilli (according to your taste)
- 1 tbsp black pepper seeds
- 2 cups smoked tuna (valhomas)
- 2 cups rice, washed and drained
- 1 tsp tumeric powder
- 4 1/2 cups water
- Salt to tast (1 tbsp)
- 6 nos. bilimbi

Directions:
- Wash the rice thoroughly until water runs clear. Let it drain in a strainer

- Cut the smoked tuna (valhomas) into 1cm chunks. Finely slice the onions, chop the garlic, cut the chillies and billimbi into 3 pcs each.

- In a pot add cooking oil, sliced onion, chopped garlic, ginger slice, curry leaves, rampa leaf and chilli according to your taste. (P.S. I forgot to add ginger slice earlier in the video, so added it later. I normally add it together with onions and ginger).

- Saute till onions are tender and lightly browned only. Once lightly browned, add black pepper seeds and smoked tuna. Stir fry for 5-6 mins on medium heat.

- Add washed rice and stir fry for another 5-6 mins on medium heat.

- Add tumeric powder and stir for 2-3 minutes until well combined.

- Now add water, salt, bilimbi and cook for 5 minutes on medium-high heat (lid off).

- Put the lid on and let it cook on low-medium heat for 15-20 minutes. After 5 mins on low heat check if salt is according to your taste and let it continue to cook.

- Open the lid after 15-20 mins and check if all the water is completely gone. If not let it continue to cook further. Mine was cooked between 15-20 mins.

- Once all the water is completely gone, stir the rice, turn off the heat and put the lid on let it simmer in the heat for 10 mins. After 10 mins, serve the rice.

- Enjoy it as it is or with theluli rihaakuru / normal rihaakuru, fried moringa leaves and fried chillies.


Video Source: ⁣ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-j_LxhYZk0