New vegan menu and alcohol-free cocktails created by resort
Eating healthily while on holiday can be a challenge but not so much if you’re staying at Nova Maldives this month. The South Ari Atoll resort is encouraging travellers to check out their Dry January and ‘Veganuary‘ offerings.
For the uninitiated, Dry January is an increasingly popular challenge whereby you abstain from drinking alcohol for the entire month of January. Veganuary inspires people to try going vegan during January. While these lifestyles may already appeal to health-conscious travellers, Nova Maldives has decided to create two limited-edition experiences exclusively for Veganuary and Dry January to encourage even more guests to give it a shot.
Nova Maldives’ Maldivian chef and tastemaker, Chef Sobah, has crafted a three-course Veganuary menu. It offers a fresh take on traditional Maldivian recipes. His contemporary vegan dishes emphasize nourishment and locally sourced ingredients.
The menu features Kulhlhafilaa Faiy Salad, with Maldivian rocket, snake gourd, cherry tomatoes, shaved coconut, and a bright coconut–lime vinaigrette. The main course is a cassava curry (Dhandi Alu Riha) simmered in fresh coconut milk with curry leaves, pandan, and aromatic island herbs and spices. And for dessert, a steamed Huni Hakuru (young coconut) wrapped in Canac leaf and gently steamed with organic Maldivian honey, fragrant spices, and rosewater.
To accompany the menu, there are also two vegan, alcohol-free cocktails (mocktails), which will also appeal to those doing the Dry January challenge. The Grapefruit Grove is a refreshing blend of grapefruit pulp and juice, curry leaves, pineapple, elderflower, and a touch of brown sugar, while the Dragon Fruit Cooler features fresh dragonfruit, guava and lime juices, and a hint of coconut syrup.
Any vegan guests at the resort will find Nova doesn’t only provide vegan food once a year. Flames, the resort’s signature grill house restaurant, has a vegan menu all year round featuring local produce (in addition to the restaurant’s main menu).
General Manager of Nova Maldives, Abdulla Aboobakuru, said: “At Nova, we believe that cuisine is one of the most meaningful ways to share the soul of the Maldives.
“Our Veganuary menu celebrates the simple, honest ingredients our communities have cooked with for generations, thoughtfully reimagined into plant-based dishes that still feel deeply familiar and full of soul.”
For more information, visit the resort website here.
You may also be interested in: New plant-based restaurant launches at Dusit Thani Maldives
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