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Maldivian

Gulha

Non-vegetarian

ގުލްހަ · gulha

Popular Maldivian short eats (hedhikaa): small dough balls stuffed with tuna, coconut, onion and chilli, deep-fried until crisp and golden.

Gulha is a Maldivian finger food from Maldives, ready in about 1 hour 15 minutes and made with all-purpose flour and canned tuna. It serves 5 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
Bowl of round golden fried gulha tuna dumplings
Photo: Xavier Romero-Frias / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-3.0
Prep
40 min
Cook
20 min
Rest
15 min
Total
1 h 15 min
Serves
5
Level
Intermediate
Calories
347

Ingredients

5 servings (about 20 gulha)

Dough

Filling

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Mix the flours and salt, rub in the coconut oil (opens in a new tab), then add the warm water gradually and knead to a soft, smooth dough. Cover and rest.

    • 8 min
    Hands kneading dough on a floured surface
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Mix the tuna, coconut (opens in a new tab), onion (opens in a new tab), chilli, ginger, curry leaves (opens in a new tab), lime juice (opens in a new tab) and salt, squeezing with your hands until well combined.

    • 5 min

  3. Step 3

    Pinch off walnut-sized pieces of dough, flatten each into a small cup, fill with a teaspoon of filling, pinch closed and roll into a smooth ball.

    • 25 min

  4. Step 4

    Heat the oil to 170 °C and fry the gulha in batches, turning, until deep golden.

    Food safety: Don't overcrowd the pan, and never leave hot oil unattended.

About this dish

Origin
Maldives · Well documentedMore food from Maldives
Dish
Snack · Finger food · Street food
Cooking method
Deep-fried
Taste
savoury, spicy (chilli heat), umami, fresh
Diet
Pescatarian · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labelsPescatarian · Non-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Street food · Portable / lunchbox · Make-ahead
Cook more with
All-purpose flour · Canned tuna · Rice flour · Coconut oil · Coconut · Onion
Techniques
Deep-frying · Kneading

Allergens

  • Contains: Fishfrom canned tuna
  • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
  • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

347 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 141 g · recipe makes 5

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 11%
  • Carbohydrate 48%
  • Fat 40%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy347 kcal246 kcal
Protein10 g7.1 g
Carbohydrate42.1 g29.8 g
Net carbohydrate39.4 g27.9 g
Sugars1.5 g1.1 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre2.7 g1.9 g
Fat15.5 g11 g
Saturated fat6.6 g4.6 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol9 mg6 mg
Sodium413 mg293 mg
Salt equivalent1 g0.7 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
168 mg
Calcium
19 mg
Iron
2.6 mg
Magnesium
25 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
6 µg
Vitamin C
8 mg
Vitamin D
0.3 µg
Vitamin B12
0.6 µg
Folate (DFE)
124 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): curry leaves.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Seal the balls completely, or oil gets in and the filling bursts out.

Common mistakes

  • Frying in oil that is too hot — the outside browns before the dough cooks through.

Serve with

  • Serve warm with sweet black tea as an afternoon snack.

Storage

  • Shaped, uncooked gulha freeze well; fry from frozen at a slightly lower temperature.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

The body of the dish

Gravy, sauce & base

Used in step 4

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 40 min

    Knead until smooth and soft; it should feel like an earlobe.

  2. Rest · about 15 min

    Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.

  3. Bake · about 20 min

    Puffed with golden-brown spots on both sides.

  4. Start to finish: about 1 h 15 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

If something goes wrong

  • Pale crust

    Likely causes

    • Oven too cool
    • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
    • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

    What to do

    • Check the oven with a thermometer
    • Brush with egg wash or milk
    • Shorten the fermentation
  • Burnt bottom

    Likely causes

    • Tray too close to the heat
    • Dark tray absorbs more heat
    • Too much sugar in the dough

    What to do

    • Bake on the middle shelf
    • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
    • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
  • Crust too hard or thick

    Likely causes

    • Baked too long at too low a temperature
    • No steam at the start

    What to do

    • Bake hotter for a shorter time
    • Add steam for the first 15 minutes (tray of boiling water, or a covered Dutch oven)
    • Cool under a tea towel for a softer crust

Reviews & corrections

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