Watalappam
| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Sri Lanka |
| Region or state | South Asia |
| Details | |
| Course served | Dessert |
| Type | Pudding |
| Main ingredient(s) | Coconut or Condensed cow's milk, jaggery, cashew nuts, eggs, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, other spices |
Watalappam (also called Watalappan or Vatlappam) is a coconut custard pudding made of coconut milk or condensed milk, jaggery, cashew nuts, eggs, and various spices, including cardamom, cloves,[1] and nutmeg. This dessert is very popular among ethnic Sri Lankan. Watalappam, the supreme expression of modern Sri Lankan culinary art, is made traditionally from coconut milk, jaggery, eggs and cashew nuts, flavoured with cardamom and cloves. It provides the imbiber (‘consume’ is too poor a word to describe the experience) with a range of flavours, depending on which part of the tongue this exquisite sweet touches.It gained popularity in the 1900s. It has also become popular among the Tamil Muslims of Tamil Nadu, India. This dessert is a must for most religious festival days and other social functions and celebrations.
Preparation method
- 2 cups of thick coconut milk
- 1/2 lb. of brown sugar (or jaggery)
- 4 eggs
- A pinch of ground cardamom (optional)
- 3 cloves (optional)
- 12 cashews
Beat the eggs in a mixer. Add the milk, brown sugar, cardamom and cloves to the beaten eggs. Mix well. Add the mixture into a pot and steam for 20 minutes. Add the cashews.
Alternatively, the mixture can be poured into multiple small aluminum baking foils and then steamed for about 5–10 minutes.
You can also vary or enhance the aroma and flavour by adding thick pandan (Pandanus amaryllifolius) juice or vanilla pod gratings.
See also
References
- ↑ "The decline of watalappam", Daily News (Sri Lanka), August 31, 2012.
