Ulhaali

Ulhaali  is one of my childhood favorite local snacks. These are crispy pieces of fried sweet dough with a slight coconut taste. We usually receive these from  Faathuma, who lives on the island of Angolhitheemu in Raa atoll.  Her husband Abdul Rasheed lived in my great grandfather's home when my mum was a little girl.  

As years went by Abdul Rasheed became someone who visited our home daily sometimes to grab a bite to eat or deliver things for my mother. With a huge family to care for he had two jobs, in the daytime he worked as a pion in one of the government offices and during the night he worked as a watchman. Sometimes he would arrive during my lunchtime, being a slow eater ,my mum would give up on me and he would sit there to tell stories. His favorite was the "rasgefaanu and beeruboa vazeer stories". Later I learned they were actually the Maldivian translated versions of the famous King Akbar and his vizier, Birbal.  Sadly, Abdul Rasheed passed away a few years back after battling cancer but his wife Faathuma kept in touch with my mother and would send goodies now and then. 

Since I got a few requests from some readers for the recipe of Ulhaali after I posted my story about the Ulhaali ladies from the island of Hinnnavaru, I decided to ask her for the recipe. Now I know the recipe might differ from island to island, there are savoury versions of this as well.  When mum called her and said I wanted to talk to her about the recipe, she goes" Does she want Ulhaali? I can make and send her some you know!".  

It took me some time to get the dough right as the recipe she gave me was for a big batch. The kids love helping out, especially the little one.  

You need fresh coconut, which is ground to a paste with sugar and a little water. 

This is then mixed into flour along with a small egg, I prefer the smaller white eggs to the large brown ones we get here and a little water. 

The result is a slightly sticky dough. Once kneaded to a smooth dough I rubbed a little oil on the surface of the dough before covering it with a damp towel to rest for a few minutes. This makes the dough easier to manage. 

Now divide the dough into a few balls about 5-6 balls,  and roll it into a thin circle. 

Cut strips of the dough after rolling it. Dust with a little flour so it doesn't stick but not too much flour.

Take a few strips and attach one to the other so you get a nice long strip. Say about 3 to 4 strips. 

Then dampen your fingers a bit with water and start rolling the strip between your fingers so the flat strip becomes like a string. more cylindrical.

 

Now start shaping. The traditional way is to shape it on oiled dhigaa leaves, the leaf of a local plant that grows wild around the islands. Since I don't have any I cut squares of plastic bags and used that. 

Shape the Ulhaali on the piece of plastic and set it aside once done.

I know mine looks rather funny but I am not a regular Ulhaali maker, who weaves intricate shapes with these pieces of dough as you can see from the Ulhaali ladies. Once done set it aside.  Have fun with it, can be authentic shapes or a butterfly. Get creative.

Once all the Ulhaali are made, heat the oil for deep frying. Use fresh oil and once the oil is hot, lower the heat to medium-low and slowly slide the ulhaali off the plastic into the oil. Fry in batches until golden, flip them over halfway through so they fry evenly.

 Drain in a colander and once completely cooled and oil is drained, store in a clean dry airtight container. 

Author: Nammi

Ulhaali

Ingredients

• ¾ cups grated coconut
• ½ cup and 2 tbsp of sugar
• 1 small egg
• a few tablespoons of water
• 300g (2 cups) flour
• Oil for deep frying

Instructions

1. Place the coconut and sugar in a wet grinder with 2 tbsp of water and grind till it is quite smooth.
2. Sift ½ cup of flour into the large tray or bowl.
3. Mix in the coconut and sugar mixture into the flour.
4. Beat the egg and mix it into the flour mixture. 
5. Add a little water and mix until you get a sticky dough. Start adding a little extra flour at a time until you have used about ¼ cup. By then you will have a nice smooth dough but slightly sticky, if too sticky add a little more flour until you have a workable slightly sticky dough. 
6. Shape into a ball, add a tsp of oil on top and rub it on the dough and then cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for 15 minutes.
7. After 15 minutes, divide the dough into about 6 portions and roll each into a ball, use a little flour to dust the dough and surface. But don’t use too much flour to dust.
8. Roll into a thin circle.
9. Cut into about 1 cm strips.
10. Wet your hands a little and then take a few strips and attach them to one another. The end of one strip to the other so you have one long strip. I used about 3 strips.
11. Now start rolling the strips to shape them into a log, before it was flat.
12. Take a piece of plastic, and start shaping it on the piece of plastic.
13. Then shape them as shown in the video above, pressing them so the strips get attached.
14. Set aside and repeat the same with all the remaining pieces of dough.
15. Warm a saucepan or deep fryer with oil for deep frying. Keep the flame at medium to low heat. Once it is hot, carefully slip the dough, not the plastic, into the hot oil.
16. Cook on slow flame until the dough pieces are nice and golden. The dark cream colour is what you are looking for. Flip the dough pieces halfway through.
17. Remove to a colander and drain well. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
18. Once completely cooled store in an air-tight tin.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @chilliesandlime on instagram and hashtag it #chilliesandlime