The first rule of Dhon Beybe’s mas huni is that the onion has to sit for seven minutes in salt before anything else goes near the bowl. The second rule, which he explained on the third visit, is that the chilli changes by month. By April it is the long red one, seeds still in.

The fish is a smoked skipjack, preferably from the Hithadhoo smoking shed that has been run by the same two families since 1987. The coconut is grated that morning. The onion is a Male’ red, not a small Indian. The chilli is a long red from Haa Dhaalu, and the lime is any lime.