Maldivian Hedhikaa: A Guide to Sweet and Savory Short Eats You Can’t Miss

Between three and five in the afternoon, the glass display cases at hotaa cafes in Malé fill with pyramids of golden, deep-fried snacks. This is hedhikaa time — a daily ritual when Maldivians pause for strong, sweet tea and an assortment of small savoury and sweet bites known collectively as “short eats.” Unlike the resort buffet, hedhikaa is a genuinely local food tradition, one that plays out in neighbourhood cafes and workplace breaks across the country. The word itself translates roughly to “short eats,” and the spread typically includes a half-dozen or more items, from crescent-shaped bajiya to crunchy keemia spring rolls. During Ramadan, hedhikaa takes on special importance as the evening iftar meal that breaks the day’s fast. This guide covers the most common hedhikaa varieties, where to find them beyond resort walls, and what to order on your first visit to a hotaa.

A first encounter with hedhikaa can be disorienting — the display case holds a dozen items that all look similar but taste completely different. The key is knowing which are tuna-based (most of them), which are fried versus baked, and what pairs best with the accompanying masala chai or black tea. Not every item will suit every palate: kavaabu fritters can be aggressively spiced, while sweet boakibaa cake is mild and coconut-forward. The best approach is to point at three or four different items and share them.

Understanding Hedhikaa: Short Eats, Big Variety

Hedhikaa isn’t a single recipe — it’s a category of small snacks eaten by hand, usually with tea. Most are deep-fried, though a few baked items appear. Tuna is the dominant protein, reflecting the Maldives’ position as one of the world’s top skipjack tuna fisheries. Coconut, onion, chili, and curry leaves appear across nearly every variety. The flavours are savoury-forward, with sweetness reserved for a small number of items like boakibaa and cake folhi.

Geography shapes availability. In Malé, dedicated hotaa cafes serve hedhikaa year-round with rotating daily specials. On local islands like Maafushi or Dhiffushi, guesthouses may prepare a smaller selection for breakfast or afternoon tea. Resorts occasionally feature hedhikaa as part of Maldivian-themed evenings, but the versions there are often adapted for international palates — less chili, more oil, and sometimes served as a buffet rather than fresh from the fryer. What I’d do: skip the resort interpretation and visit a hotaa in Malé during the afternoon rush. The turnover is high, which means the snacks are freshly fried rather than sitting under a heat lamp.

The seven most common hedhikaa varieties you’ll encounter, from the ubiquitous bajiya to the hard-to-find havaadhulee bis.

Bajiya: The Crescent-Shaped Staple

Bajiya is arguably the most popular hedhikaa item in the Maldives. These crescent-shaped pastries resemble Indian samosas but use a thinner, more delicate dough that’s folded and crimped by hand into a half-moon shape. The filling combines shredded smoked tuna (valho mas), grated coconut, finely chopped onion, curry leaves, green chili, and a hint of turmeric. They’re deep-fried until the exterior is golden and crisped. The texture contrast — shatteringly crisp shell against moist, spiced filling — is what makes them addictive. A single bajiya is roughly two to three bites. The main limitation: they cool quickly, and cold bajiya loses its structural integrity. Eat them within ten minutes of frying.

Gulha and Keemia: Dumplings and Spring Rolls

Gulha are small, round dumplings made from rice flour or wheat flour dough, filled with a mixture of smoked tuna, coconut, onion, chili, and lime, then sealed into balls and deep-fried. They’re slightly more labour-intensive to make than bajiya because each one is individually hand-shaped, which means you’re more likely to find them at dedicated hotaa cafes than at guesthouse breakfasts. The lime in the filling provides a noticeable acidity that cuts through the oil.

Keemia are the Maldivian take on spring rolls. The wrapper is a thin crepe-like sheet made from a batter of flour, egg, and water, cooked on a hot pan before being filled with spiced tuna, sliced hardboiled egg, onion, and sometimes cabbage. The rolls are sealed, cut into portions, and deep-fried until golden and shatteringly crispy. The hardboiled egg inside is unexpected — it adds a creamy texture that contrasts with the crispy wrapper. Keemia are among the most filling hedhikaa options, so they work well as a light lunch rather than just a snack.

Kavaabu and Boakibaa: Fried Fritters and Baked Cake

Kavaabu are deep-fried fish and lentil fritters. The base combines cooked lentils (often masoor dal) with tuna, onion, chili, curry leaves, and spices, formed into small patties or balls and fried until the exterior develops a dark, crunchy crust. They’re among the most affordable short eats and also the most intensely flavoured — the lentil base absorbs spice well, and the exterior can verge on burnt if the oil temperature isn’t right. Kavaabu pairs best with a strong, sweet tea to balance the savoury punch.

Boakibaa is the outlier: it’s baked rather than fried. This firm, dense cake is made from a batter of rice, grated coconut, sugar, and coconut milk, sometimes enriched with eggs and flavoured with cardamom or rosewater. It’s baked in a flat pan until golden brown on top, then cut into diamond or rectangular pieces. The savoury version, kulhi boakibaa, substitutes sugar for smoked tuna and spices. Both sweet and savoury boakibaa keep well without refrigeration, making them the most portable hedhikaa option. If you’re watching your oil intake, boakibaa is your best bet — but it’s also the least snack-like, closer to a tea cake than a short eat.

What I’d do: order one bajiya, one keemia, and one kavaabu at a hotaa during the 3–5 p.m. window. That combination gives you three different textures (crisp pastry, shatteringly fried wrapper, crunchy lentil crust) and a clear sense of the range. Add a piece of sweet boakibaa if you want contrast.

Practical details for experiencing hedhikaa on the ground, from timing to ordering etiquette.

When and Where to Find the Best Selection

The 3–5 p.m. window is non-negotiable for the full experience. Hotaa cafes in Malé prepare fresh batches throughout the afternoon, but the selection is thinnest before 3 p.m. and after 6 p.m. On local islands where guesthouses prepare hedhikaa for guests, timing varies — ask at check-in whether they offer afternoon short eats. Resorts rarely serve hedhikaa outside Maldivian-themed nights, and when they do, the selection is usually limited to bajiya and kavaabu. If you’re staying on a resort island, your best bet for authentic hedhikaa is a day trip to Malé or a local inhabited island.

How to Order and Eat

At a hotaa cafe, you’ll typically point at items in the display case and the attendant will plate them for you. Tea is brought separately — expect it to be very sweet and served in small glasses. Recipes for hedhikaa on Lonumedhu show that most items are built around the same core ingredients (smoked tuna, coconut, onion, chili) with different wrappers and cooking methods creating the variety. There’s no formal order to eating them; most people eat savoury items first and finish with sweet boakibaa. The only rule is that everything is eaten by hand. No utensils are offered, and none are needed.

What I’d do: carry small cash (Maldivian rufiyaa, not dollars) for hotaa purchases. Most hotaa cafes don’t accept cards, and items cost 5–15 MVR each — a full tasting of four to five items plus tea runs under 100 MVR, or roughly $6.50.

Common Varieties Beyond the Core Seven

Beyond the seven main items, several regional and seasonal varieties exist. Bis Keemiya is a deep-fried version filled with onion, cabbage, and boiled eggs — similar to keemia but with a thicker wrapper. Riha Folhi is a Maldivian favourite served at tea time or special evening gatherings. Egg Puffs are a familiar sight on Maldivian iftar tables during Ramadan. Cake Folhi is exactly like a pancake and served without toppings, functioning as a neutral vehicle for tea. Mas Banas is the Maldivian version of Sri Lanka’s maalu paan — a stuffed bread roll. Gerikiru Boakibaa is a dessert that sits somewhere between cake and traditional boakibaa. Havaadhulee Bis is a layered snack that can be challenging for first-time cooks — it’s rarely found outside dedicated hotaa cafes and family kitchens. If you see any of these on a menu, order them; they’re less common than bajiya or kavaabu and offer a wider window into regional variation.

The table above summarises the five most common varieties. Notice that four of the five are deep-fried — only boakibaa offers a baked alternative. This matters if you’re eating multiple items in one sitting. The cumulative oil load is significant. Pace yourself and use sweet boakibaa or a piece of cake folhi as a palate reset between fried items.

Practical answers to common questions about finding, ordering, and eating hedhikaa in the Maldives.

Can I find hedhikaa outside of Malé?

Yes, but the selection is narrower. Guesthouses on local islands like Maafushi, Dhiffushi, and Thoddoo often prepare a smaller spread for guests, typically limited to bajiya and kavaabu. Dedicated hotaa cafes are concentrated in Malé, where the afternoon customer base is large enough to justify the labour of hand-shaping gulha and folding keemia. If you’re staying on a resort island, ask about Maldivian-themed evenings — some resorts bring in a local cook to prepare fresh hedhikaa for guests.

Is hedhikaa vegetarian-friendly?

Almost all savoury hedhikaa contains tuna. The Maldives is a tuna-centric food culture, and smoked tuna (valho mas) is the default protein in bajiya, gulha, keemia, and kavaabu. The only reliably vegetarian options are sweet boakibaa, cake folhi, and occasionally gerikiru boakibaa — all of which are sweet rather than savoury. If you’re vegetarian, ask for mas nulaa (without fish) at a hotaa; some cafes will prepare a vegetable-only version of bajiya if they have advance notice.

How much does hedhikaa cost?

At a hotaa cafe in Malé, individual items cost 5–15 MVR (roughly $0.30–$1.00). A full tasting of four to five items plus a cup of tea runs under 100 MVR (about $6.50). Prices on local islands are similar. Resorts charge significantly more — expect $5–$10 per item if hedhikaa appears on a resort menu, with the quality often lower than what you’d get at a Malé hotaa for a fraction of the cost.

What drink is traditionally served with hedhikaa?

Strong, sweet black tea is the standard accompaniment. Some hotaa cafes serve masala chai with Maldivian variations — typically less spiced than Indian chai, with more emphasis on cardamom and sugar. The sweetness of the tea is intentional; it cuts through the oil of the fried snacks and balances the heat from green chili in the fillings. If you prefer less sugar, ask for mehe kiyadhu (less sweet), but expect the tea to still be noticeably sweet by Western standards.

Is hedhikaa safe for people with shellfish allergies?

Yes, generally. Tuna is a finfish, not shellfish, and the core ingredients — coconut, onion, chili, curry leaves, flour, lentils — are shellfish-free. However, cross-contamination is possible at hotaa cafes that also prepare items with shrimp or crab. If you have a severe allergy, confirm with the attendant that the item contains only tuna. Resort kitchens are better equipped to handle allergen requests; hotaa cafes may not have separate fryers.

Hedhikaa is one of the few food traditions in the Maldives that hasn’t been fully absorbed into the resort economy. It remains a daily, local practice — one that rewards the traveller willing to step off the sand and into a Malé hotaa during the 3–5 p.m. window. The snacks themselves are simple: tuna, coconut, chili, and dough, rearranged into a dozen shapes and textures. But the context — the crowded cafe, the glass case, the glass of oversweet tea — is what makes them worth seeking out. If you’re planning a broader exploration of Maldivian food culture, this local guide to authentic Maldivian flavours connects hedhikaa to the broader culinary landscape beyond the resort buffet.

Sources and further reading

Hedhikaa: Maldivian Short Eats and Snacks. Maldives Compass.

Hedhikaa Recipes. Lonumedhu.

Hedhikaa Recipe. A Travel Blog.