Soft, pillowy buns stuffed with a spicy fish and onion filling, then baked golden, one of Sri Lanka's most popular savory bakery snacks.
Malu paan, or fish bun, is a soft, slightly sweet yeasted bread roll wrapped around a spicy filling of flaked fish, onion, green chile and curry leaves, then shaped and baked until golden. It's one of the most widely eaten items at Sri Lankan bakeries, sold from morning until evening and often bought as a quick breakfast or after-school snack. The dough is enriched with a little sugar and milk, giving it a soft, faintly sweet crumb that plays deliberately against the spicy, savory fish filling tucked inside — this contrast of a mild, pillowy exterior wrapped around a punchy, chile-forward center is the whole appeal of malu paan and distinguishes it from plainer bread rolls. Canned mackerel or tuna is the common base for the filling, cooked down with onion, curry leaves and chile until dry enough not to leak through the dough during baking. Shaping is done by hand, flattening a piece of dough, placing a spoonful of filling in the center, then gathering the edges up and pinching them closed before flipping seam-side down to prove and bake, giving malu paan its recognizable rounded, slightly domed shape.
Serves 8
Combine flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Add warm milk, butter and egg, mixing to a soft dough. Knead 8 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and let rise 1 hour until doubled.
Cook onion, curry leaves and green chile in a little oil until soft. Add flaked fish, chile powder and salt, cooking until dry enough that no liquid remains. Cool completely.
The filling must be fully cooled and fairly dry, or it will make the dough soggy and hard to seal.
Divide dough into 8 pieces. Flatten each into a disc, place a spoonful of filling in the center, gather the edges up and pinch tightly to seal, then turn seam-side down.
Place shaped buns on a lined tray, cover, and let rise 30 minutes until puffy.
Brush with beaten egg and bake at 190°C (375°F) for 20 to 25 minutes until deep golden brown.
Cool the fish filling completely before shaping — warm filling makes the dough tricky to seal and can leak during baking.
Pinch the seam tightly and turn it seam-side down; a loose seal is the most common reason filling bursts out in the oven.
Let the dough rise fully both times — a rushed rise produces dense, tight buns instead of the classic soft, pillowy crumb.
Use finely diced boiled potato mixed into the fish filling to stretch it further, a common home-baker trick.
Make a vegetarian version with a spiced potato and pea filling instead of fish.
Brush the baked buns with a little extra butter straight out of the oven for a shinier, softer crust.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days, or freeze baked buns up to a month; reheat briefly in the oven or microwave to soften before eating.
Malu paan is a staple of Sri Lanka's short-eats bakery tradition, believed to reflect Portuguese and later British influences on Sri Lankan baking, adapted over generations with distinctly local, spiced fillings.
Yes — poach and flake about 300g of fresh mackerel or tuna, making sure to remove all bones and cook the filling until dry before using it.
The filling was probably too wet or the seam wasn't pinched tightly enough — cool and dry the filling fully, and seal the dough firmly with a good pinch before the second rise.
Yes — baked buns freeze well for up to a month; thaw at room temperature and warm briefly in the oven to restore the soft texture.
Per serving (150g / 5.3 oz) · 8 servings total
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