Garudiya or ''Garudhiya'' (ގަރުދިޔަ) is a clear
fish broth
Stock, sometimes called bone broth, is a savory cooking liquid that forms the basis of many dishes particularly soups, stews, and sauces. Making stock involves simmering animal bones, meat, seafood, or vegetables in water or wine, often for ...
. It is one of the basic and
traditional food items of
Maldivian cuisine. The broth is based on
tuna species found in the nation's ocean waters such as
skipjack ''(kanḍumas or goḍa)'',
yellowfin tuna ''(kanneli)'',
little tunny
The little tunny (''Euthynnus alletteratus''), also known as the false albacore, little tuna, bonita, bonito, or blue bonito, is a species of tuna in the family Scombridae. It can be found in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean and Blac ...
''(lațți)'', or
frigate tuna
The frigate tuna, frigate mackerel or alagaduwa (''Auxis thazard'') is a species of tuna, in the family Scombridae, found around the world in tropical oceans. The eastern Pacific population is now regarded as a separate species by some authoritie ...
) ''(raagonḍi)''.
[ Xavier Romero-Frias, ''The Maldive Islanders, A Study of the Popular Culture of an Ancient Ocean Kingdom'', Barcelona 1999, ]
Despite the introduction of new items in the Maldivian cuisine, garudiya is still a Maldivian favourite as it has been for generations.
Preparation
In order to cook garudiya, tuna fish are cut up following a traditional pattern. After having had the gills and some of the innards thrown away, the fish pieces, the heads and the bones are carefully washed. The fish is then boiled in water with salt, until it is well cooked. The foam or scum (filleyo) is carefully removed while boiling and is later discarded.
Garudiya is usually eaten with
steamed rice, but it can also be eaten with ''roshi'', the Maldivian
chapati. When eaten with steamed
taro (''
Alocasia'' and ''
Colocasia''), or with steamed
breadfruit
Breadfruit (''Artocarpus altilis'') is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry and jackfruit family (Moraceae) believed to be a domesticated descendant of ''Artocarpus camansi'' originating in New Guinea, the Maluku Islands, and the Philippi ...
, grated coconut is added.
Variants and derivatives
Sometimes Maldivians use
chilies,
curry leaves and
onions
An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion ...
to flavor the garudiya according to their taste, however, mostly this broth is cooked simply using fish, salt and water.
''Kekki garudiya'' is a variant of garudiya with spices.
Garudiya could be also obtained using other fishes like
wahoo ''(kurumas)'',
mahi-mahi
The mahi-mahi () or common dolphinfish (''Coryphaena hippurus'') is a surface-dwelling ray-finned fish found in off-shore temperate, tropical, and subtropical waters worldwide. Also widely called dorado (not to be confused with ''Salminus brasil ...
''(fiyala)'' or
bluefin jack ''(handi)'', among others, but the favored fish for garudiya is tuna and related species.
When the tuna-based garudiya is cooked until all the water evaporates, it forms a thick brown paste known as ''
Rihaakuru
Rihaakuru (ރިހާކުރު, pronounced ) is a fish-based thick sauce. The color varies from light brown to dark brown. It is a traditional dish of Maldivian cuisine, consumed almost daily in every household in Maldives and in Minicoy since ancient ...
'' that is highly valued in the Maldivian diet.
MIFCO; Rihaakuru
See also
* Maldive fish
* List of tuna dishes
References
{{Asia topic, title= Asian cuisine, prefix=Cuisine of
Maldivian cuisine
Food ingredients
Tuna dishes
National dishes