Riha Folhi (Turmeric Crepes with Tuna filling)

Riha folhi, a savoury crepe, filled with a curried tuna filling, is one of my favourite Maldivian snacks. This is a very special snack for me, because this is one of the best recipes I have received from my Mum. 
I’ve never seen anyone else make the curry paste for Riha folhi like my Mum does. As with any traditional food, there are many variations to this. Some people like using dried tuna to fill the crepe, my Mum adds some coconut milk when making the crepe and some people roll it differently to what my Mum does. But all in all, it combines to make this delicious Maldivian delicacy that I could eat all day long.
When my Mum gave me the recipe, it was more a list of ingredients. There were definitely no set quantities, the only thing I knew for sure was you added less cumin, than fennel. The first time I made the spice paste, when the smell of the ground fennel and coconut hit me, a wave of nostalgia swept over me. If there was anything I recreated that reminded me of my Grandma, this was it.
Savoury recipes are more forgiving when it comes to using exact quantities, compared to baking. So try and see what flavours suit you best. For one thing, I know that the quantity of chilli I add will not be satisfactory to a lot of people. So play around with this recipe, and make it your own. And share it with your friends and family for a delicious treat!
Rihafolhi Turmeric crepes with curried tuna filling
Ingredients:Serves: Makes about 35 Riha folhi
Spice paste (makes about 180g spice paste):
  • 60g scraped coconut
  • 2 1/2tbsp fennel seeds
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 10g ginger
  • 50g onion
  • red chilli (habanero or birds eye) to taste
  • 2 small cinnamon sticks
  • 10 cardamom pods
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 3 tbsp water
Tuna filling
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1/2 small red onion
  • 1 sprig of curry leaves
  • 2 pieces of pandan leaves
  • 3 tbsp spice paste
  • 185g tuna (canned, in brine)
  • 1/4 cup water
  • Salt to season
Turmeric crepe
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 cups cups water
  • 1 tsp turmeric
Method:
  • First make the spice paste. Place all ingredients in a spice grinder and grind it until it becomes a paste.
  • Next make the filling. Place the oil, onion, curry leaves and pandan leaves in a fry pan over medium heat and fry for 2-4 minutes until the onions have wilted. Then add the curry paste and cook for further 2-3 minutes, until the mixture is fragrant. While cooking the spice paste, you can add some water if the consistency is too thick.  Finally, add the tuna, combine well and then season with salt to taste. Set this aside while you make the crepes.
  • To make the turmeric crepes, mix all the ingredients in a blender. Strain the mixture if there are any lumps. To cook the crepes, heat a small fry pan over low heat. Dab a paper towel with oil and wipe the pan with it, and then, using a plastic ladle, add a spoonful of crepe mixture on the pan. Working quickly, using the back of your ladle, spread the crepe mixture on the pan using circular motions. You can check out how I make the crepes in my video. When the crepe starts lifting at the edges, it’s cooked.
  • To fill crepes, place some tuna filling on the crepe, bring the two sides to the middle and then roll starting form the top (check out my video for this as well). Some people like to roll it without folding the sides, so it’s up to you how you want to do it.









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