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1
Chop the Onion, Chilli and Coriander
5 Mins • Chopping
No cooking — work with cold ingredients, kept below 4°C (40°F)
Finely chop the 80 g red onion, seed and finely chop the green chilli, and roughly chop the coriander leaves. Zest one lime, then juice both limes — you need about 30 ml (2 tablespoons) of juice.
Chop the onion as fine as you can — big pieces overpower the tuna.
Done when: Onion and chilli in fine, even pieces; lime zested without bitter white pith.
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2
Crush the Onion, Chilli and Lime
5 Mins • Pounding
No cooking — keep the bowl cool, below 4°C (40°F)
Put the chopped onion and chilli in a bowl with the lime juice and a pinch of the salt. Crush them together with the back of a spoon or a pestle for about a minute, until the onion softens and its juices run into the lime.
This is the traditional step — crushing tames the raw onion and wakes up the chilli, so do not skip it.
Done when: Onion softened and glossy, juices pooled in the bottom of the bowl.
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3
Flake the Tuna
3 Mins • Flaking
No cooking for canned or smoked tuna; fresh tuna poached to 63°C (145°F)
Drain the 320 g of tuna well and flake it into fine shreds with a fork, picking out any skin or bones. If you are using smoked tuna, shred the flakes as fine as you can; if you are using fresh tuna, poach it first until it reaches 63°C (145°F) and let it cool before flaking.
Fine shreds, not chunks — mas huni should be a soft, spoonable mound, not a tuna salad with lumps.
Done when: Even, fine flakes with no large chunks.
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4
Fold in the Coconut and Rest
2 Mins + 30 Mins Chill • Mixing
Chill at 4°C (40°F) or below
Add the flaked tuna and the 160 g of grated coconut to the bowl and fold everything together with your hands or a fork until the coconut is evenly mixed through. Stir in the coriander and the lime zest, taste, and add the rest of the salt only if it needs it. Cover and chill for 30 minutes so the flavours settle.
Mix by hand — you can feel when the coconut is evenly through the tuna.
Done when: Evenly mixed, fragrant and just moist — not wet, and not dry.
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5
Serve with Roshi
2 Mins • Serving
Serve cool or at room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Pile the mas huni in a low mound on a plate and scatter the last of the coriander over the top. Serve with warm roshi for scooping and a pot of sweet black tea, with cucumber and tomato on the side if you like.
Tear the roshi into pieces and scoop — that is the Maldivian way to eat it.
Done when: Mounded high, coconut flecked through, roshi warm.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Pile the mas huni in a low mound on a plate, scatter the last of the coriander over the top, and set it down with a stack of warm roshi and a pot of sweet black tea. Eat it straight away, tearing off pieces of roshi to scoop.
Maldives
40m
Vietnam
France