Dining

The flavours of Peru and Japan meet unexpectedly in the effortlessly cool surroundings of Kayto, our signature restaurant at Jumeirah Maldives Olhahali Island nestled in the north Malé atoll in the Indian Ocean. Here, our Chef de Cuisine Mauricio Higa meticulously plates up delicious delicacies that blend the inimitable flavours of Nikkei and Peruvian cooking, creating a mouth watering menu of two striking cultures and cuisines.

Mauricio executes Kayto's Head Chef Christian Goya's signature dishes with expert precision, producing some of the best cuisine in the archipelago, and below he has shared one of his favourite secret recipes, delicious grilled octopus with anticucho sauce and corn purée. He begins by guiding you through the overall method, followed by a detailed list of ingredients and instructions to create the delicious octopus, anticucho sauce and corn purée. We look forward to seeing your creations, do tag us at @jumeirahmaldives using the hashtag #TimeExceptionallyWellSpent.

Plating ingredients:

180g Octopus (see recipe below)
120g Corn purée (see recipe below)
60g Honey anticucho (see recipe below)
50g Corn salsa (see recipe below)
15g Corn tortilla – cut into thin strips to fry until nicely crisp
25g Smoked butter
5g Itokiri togarashi
5g Togarashi
5g Micro cress

Plating method:

1. Grill the octopus tentacles in whole pieces. This is best done over charcoal if possible.
2. Once you have achieved a nice even colour, remove and slice on the angle into 0.5cm thick slices.
3. Brush each slice with honey anticucho. Place on a tray in the oven or over charcoal for 2 minutes to warm the honey anticucho.
4. Warm the corn purée, and add the smoked butter and stir to combine.
5. Place your presentation plate on the side, and add the corn butter as a base layer in the centre of the plate. Then layer the sliced octopus in a circle on top of the corn butter. Top with corn salsa, crispy fried corn tortilla and Itokiri togarashi.
6. Sprinkle togarashi over the top and garnish with the micro cress.

Octopus ingredients:

285g raw octopus, one tentacle
40g peeled carrot
40g peeled celery
50g peeled white onion
40g washed leeks
30g sake
3g black peppercorns
1 piece lemon – halved and grilled

Octopus method:

1. Roughly chop the carrot, celery, onion and leeks.
2. Wash the octopus under cold running water for 30 minutes, turning it occasionally.
3. In a deep oven tray, add the vegetables, sake, peppercorns and lemon. Place the octopus on top.
4. Cover with aluminium foil and place into a preheated oven at 190 degrees Celsius for 50 minutes or until the octopus is soft in texture.
5. Remove the octopus from the baking tray and let it cool.

Corn purée ingredients:

120g sweet corn – removed from the cob
10g white onion – finely chopped
10g leeks – finely chopped
2g garlic – crushed
1pc bay leaf
5g thyme – sprig
10g butter
5ml corn oil
2g turmeric powder
30ml water
35ml milk
10g potato – peeled and cut into cubes
10g carrot – peeled and cut into cubes
Fine salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Corn purée method:

1. Heat the butter and oil in a heavy based pot over a medium heat. Add in the onion and leeks and cook until golden brown in colour.
2. Using a cheesecloth, tie the garlic, thyme, peppercorns and bay leaf into a small bag.
3. Add the sweet corn, potato, carrot, milk and water in the pot with the onion and leeks. Add in the bag of herbs. Finally add in the turmeric powder and season with a small amount of salt.
4. Bring the mixture to boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Cover the top of the mixture with baking paper and allow to cook slowly for 30 minutes.
5. Remove from the heat and strain the liquid from the other ingredients. Remove the bag of herbs and discard.
6. Place the corn mixture without the liquid into a blender and blend until smooth. Should the mixture be too thick for a purée, use a small amount of the reserved liquid and adjust the consistency until you get a smooth purée.
7. Taste and adjust your seasoning accordingly.

Honey anticucho ingredients:

35g Aji panca paste
25g Yusen vinegar
2g Black peppercorns
4g Garlic – crushed
2g Fine salt
2g Cumin seeds
2g Dry oregano
45ml Sake
15ml Grapeseed oil
30g White miso paste
20g White sugar
10ml Mirin
20g Honey

Honey anticucho method:

1. Over medium heat, in a heavy based frying pan, toast the black peppercorns and cumin seeds. Once fragrant, add in the dry oregano for a few seconds. Then remove and blend in a spice grinder.
2. In a separate heavy based frying pan, over a high heat, add in the sake and flambe the sake until the fire has gone out. Add in the sugar and dissolve. Then add in the white miso paste and mix to combine. Remove from the heat and keep aside.
3. Using a blender add the aji panca paste, yusen vinegar, crushed garlic, fine salt, white miso mixture, toasted spices, honey and mirin. Blend until a smooth fine paste is achieved, which takes approximately 2-3 minutes.
4. Slowly, while the blender is on, add in the grapeseed oil until a smooth emulsion is formed.
5. Remove and keep for plating.

You can taste our Chef de Cuisine Mauricio Higa’s extraordinary cooking at our signature restaurant Kayto at Jumeirah Maldives Olhahali Island or opt for Mediterranean delicacies and stunning views from our beachfront restaurant Shimmers.