Shredded smoked tuna mixed with fresh grated coconut, onion, chili, and lime. The Maldives' beloved breakfast, scooped with roshi flatbread.
Nutrition & Info
Allergen Warnings
Equipment Needed
Presentation Guide
Vessel: plate alongside roshi
Garnishes: fresh lime wedge, sliced chili
Accompaniments: roshi (flatbread), hot tea
Instructions
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1
If using smoked dried Maldive fish, break it into small pieces and shred finely by hand or with a fork until it resembles coarse flakes with no large chunks remaining. If using canned tuna, drain thoroughly and chop finely.
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2
Place the finely diced red onion and minced green chilli into a mixing bowl. Squeeze the lime juice over them and add the salt, then massage the mixture firmly with your fingers for one minute until the onion softens.
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3
Add the freshly grated coconut to the bowl and mix again with your fingers, squeezing and tossing to combine the coconut evenly with the seasoned onion and chilli until the mixture looks uniformly distributed.
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4
Add the shredded tuna to the bowl and fold it into the coconut mixture, pressing and mixing until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined and there are no separate clumps of any single ingredient.
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5
Taste the mas huni and adjust the seasoning, adding more lime juice for brightness, salt for depth, or chilli for heat. The flavour should be balanced between the smoky fish, sweet coconut, and tangy lime.
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6
Serve the mas huni immediately at room temperature with warm roshi flatbreads on the side. Scoop generous portions onto each piece of roshi and fold to eat by hand as a traditional Maldivian breakfast.
Did You Know?
Every Maldivian morning starts with mas huni and roshi — it's as fundamental as coffee is to Westerners.
Chef's Notes
Equipment Tips
- mixing bowl
- fork or hands
- sharp knife
Garnishing
fresh lime wedge, sliced chili
Accompaniments
roshi (flatbread), hot tea
The Story Behind Mas Huni
The Story: Mas huni is the Maldives' signature breakfast dish: a mixture of shredded smoked tuna (valhomas), freshly grated coconut, finely diced onion, chili, and lime juice, hand-mixed and served with roshi (flatbread) and sweetened hot tea. The dish is a masterpiece of textural contrast, the dry, smoky fish meeting the moist sweetness of fresh coconut, sharpened by lime and chili. Mas huni emerged from the practical intersection of the Maldives' two most abundant resources: tuna and coconut.
On the Calendar: Mas huni is the traditional Maldivian breakfast, eaten daily across the islands. It is morning food, prepared fresh each day, and is so strongly associated with breakfast that eating it at other times feels unusual to most Maldivians.
Then & Now: While younger urban Maldivians in Male may eat toast or cereal for weekday breakfasts, mas huni remains the breakfast of choice on outer islands and for weekend and holiday mornings everywhere. The dish has gained international recognition through resort tourism, where it is often featured at breakfast buffets.
Legacy: Mas huni is the Maldivian morning ritual, a dish that connects every generation to the rhythms of fishing and coconut harvesting that have defined island life for millennia.
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