Theluli Bandaidhoo ( Spicy shallow fried tuna fish belly fillets)

Ok, I have been wracking my mind on how to explain what a bandaidhoo is. So to put it in a more easier way, it is simply the underside of the fish or the belly.  Usually, when they fillet they remove it but here, in Maldives, they give it along with the fish fillets, tuna fish fillets to be exact.
My mom makes this delicious spiced  "bandaidhoo " that goes well as a side with rice and mild curry.  Usually, the bandaidhoo comes with the skin  and is cooked with the skin.  In this simple recipe, its slathered with lonumirus or Maldivian chilli paste and then cooked in hot oil, not deep frying but shallow frying over medium heat till cooked through. It is absolutely delicious!!

Recipe :Theluli bandaidhoo
250g bandaidhoo ( thats about 3-4 bandaidhoo pieces)
3-4 tbsp lonumirus
1/4 tsp salt
oil enough to do shallow frying( should cover about 10 cm of the pan)

Wash and pat the bandaidhoo dry and cut half and crosswise.  season with a little salt then mix well with lonumirus. Leave for about 10 minutes.

Fill a large deep frying pan or if you don't have one large enough use a round baking pan.  Fill with oil, so it covers the bottom of the pan as you do for shallow frying.Let the oil start to warm it up over a medium flame, don't get it too hot. Carefully add the  bandaidhoo, skin side down. Cover and cook over a low flame for 10 minutes, then remove lid and turn the pieces over to cook the other side another 5 minutes.

Cool, and remove and serve. My mom loves the oil as its flavored with the chilli paste. its great drizzled over the bandaidhoo. If you can't get your hands on the belly of tuna, try getting some nice thinly sliced tuna fish slices and follow the same method, but then it becomes Thelulimas a big favourite in our house, especially during the month of  Ramadhan.