Fenfolhi /Riha (plain crepes with fish curry)

Ramadhaan Kareem  to all , I know this Ramadhan is going to be a challenging time for all of us , especially ones who are in lockdown areas and also in the islands as well with limited food supplies. Even though I finished and drafted most of the recipes way before the lockdown I  have added variations for the recipes.

Fenfolhi is a very plain crepe or a thin pancake. Fenfolhi is not very pleasant to eat on its own as it is just flour, water and an egg, with no seasoning. I am not a big fan of this but its a big favorite of my parents. It is usually served with a curry or with a sweet pudding called kiru. This post is about how to make fenfolhi and the curry that goes along with it. The curry is almost the same as the valhomas curry I posted last year. So you can use either recipe. I know especially in Male' Valhomas mas might not be available to some so use canned tuna instead. Drain the oil well, and use it.

Fenfolhi

To make the pancake or folhi, brush or rub some vegetable oil such as corn oil on the surface of the frying pan and pour a ladle of the prepared batter, into a small frying pan and swirl it around quickly. Do not pour oil, use a tissue or a brush to rub some oil on the frying pan. 

The first one will always end a mess, takes a few tries before you get the hang of it. Mine was thick according to my mother so try and make it quite thin, this also increases the number of folhi you make.
 Once it sets, carefully roll it and then remove it. Repeat with the remaining batter, greasing the pan each time. Keep the flame on  low heat so its easier to spread.

once the pancake sets, gently roll it into a cylinder

The curry is very easy to make so I won't go into much detail you can check the recipe card below.
To serve this, it is eaten by taking a rolled-up folhi, use it to scoop up some curry and eating or unroll the folhi, fill with the curry, rolling it up again and enjoying. If it gets too spicy it is then dipped into the sweet kiru to cool the palate. The recipe for  kiru will be up tomorrow Insha Allah

Yield: 14 folhi, or 16 if you are able to make it thinner

Author: Nammi

Fenfolhi /Kiru

prep time: 30 mins cook time: 1 hour Total time: 1 H; 30 mins

ingredients:

For the Fenfolhi

• 1 1/2 cups plain flour, sifted
• 2 1/4 cups water ( enough to make a thin batter)
• 1 egg 

For the curry

• 1 fillet smoked tuna ( or 1 1/2 cans tuna, oil or brine drained)
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, grated 
• 1-inch ginger finely grated
• 1/4 or 1/2  scotch bonnet, ( if not available use  some enzi githeyomirus sauce or add dried red chilli powder, about 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp)
• 2 tsp roasted curry powder (Maldivian)
• 1/2 glass of water ( i used a regular drinking glass)
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 cup packed coconut milk ( see note)
• 1/2 lime
• small pinch of ground black pepper
• salt to taste
• 2-3 tbsp corn or any other vegetable oil

instructions:

How to cook Fenfolhi /Kiru

Make the fen folhi

1. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl.
2. Make a well in the center.
3. Beat the egg and pour it into the well, and pour water, whisking while adding the water, till you get a nice smooth thin batter. 
4. Pour some oil into a small bowl.
5. Place a small frying pan over medium heat. Dip a piece of tissue into the bowl of oil and rub that tissue on the surface of the frying pan ( or you can use a pastry brush if you have one).  
6. Ladle some batter into the frying pan and carefully tilt the pan around so the batter coats the bottom of the pan.  Cook for a few seconds and then once the batter sets, carefully roll the pancake to a cylindrical shape. Remove to a plate and repeat with the rest of the batter, brushing the pan with oil every time. 

How to make the curry for fen folhi

1. Mix 1/4 of the sliced onions,  garlic, ginger, scotch bonnet peppers, curry leaves, smoked tuna (canned tuna) and the spices with some lime juice.
2. Heat oil in a small saucepan or pot, add the remaining onions and saute till they soften. 
3. Add the tuna mixture and some water, cover, and cook, for about 10 minutes. 
4. Taste and add salt. Then add the coconut milk.  
5. Cook for another 1-2 minutes. This is quite a dry curry with just a little gravy. 

NOTES:

I used packed coconut milk, you can use the dried coconut milk powder( mix  1 tablespoon of dried coconut milk powder 1/4 cup water with some water to make a thick coconut milk mixture or use fresh thick coconut milk.

Created using The Recipes Generator