Sri Lankan Desserts and Sweets

Ingredients

1 lb butter cake(sqaure shape)
1 can of sliced peaches with syrup
4 cups whipped cream
4-5 cherries or grapes for decoration

Method

Cut the butter cake into 2 layers and place one layer in a 9 x 9 inch dish. Soak the cake with half of the syrup and add half of the sliced peaches. Now add 2 cups of whipped cream and spread evenly. Then place the other layer of butter cake and soak it with rest of the syrup. Now add the remaining whipped cream and spread evenly. Finally decorate with peach slices and cherries as desired.

This is a delicious, quick and easy to make dessert.

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EASY JELLY PUDDING

Ingredients

2 boxes strawberry jello or any other flavor
1 can sweetened condensed milk
Water

Method

Prepare the 2 boxes of jello mix according to the package directions(first 2 mix with 2 cups boiling water until it dissolves. Then add 2 cups cold water and stir well). Now add 1 can sweetened condensed milk and beat well using a mixer at high speed until light and fluffy. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until set.

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ATHIRASA

Ingredients
1/2 measure raw rice(pounded and sifted 8 full cups)
1/2 measure coconut honey
2 oz sago
2 cardamoms powdered
Cooking oil for deep frying

Method

Roast the sago.Boil the honey, when it treacle test in cold water to get the hardening consistency.Add to it the roasted sago and mix in the flour.Place again on a very slow flame and mix well till a suitable consistency is obtained.Take off from the fire and mix in same a little longer.When cooked and formed into a ball remove onto a lightly oiled board.Boil a cup or two of water in the pan and use that water to knead the prepared dough into a soft consistency by using this cunjee.All the cunjee may not be necessary.
Now form into small flat cakes dipping fingers into oil and kneading small portions of dough occationally and fry in deep oil.Drain off oil in a colander.

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KOKIS

Ingredients
4 cups rice flour,i.e. 1/2 measure raw rice pounded
Thick Milk of 1 large mature coconut
2 Eggs
5-6 dessert spns salt water
Cooking oil for deep frying

Method

Sieve the rice flour well(raw).Spread the salt water.Whisk the eggs and make the batter with eggs and the thick coconut milk to the consistency of a pan cake batter.
Heat the oil ina frying pan with a rounded bottom.Dip the "Kokis" mould in it and heat it up.Then dip it in the batter.The very top should not be covered with the batter.Put it back into the oil pan.When half done, shake it off and deep fry one at a time.When fried, remove to a colander.Store in an airtight container.

Note:"Kokis" can be made with steamed American flour.Steam the flour for about 45 minutes or more.Sieve and use 4 cups for the above recipe

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MURUKKU

Ingredients 1 lb. steamed American flour
1-2 Eggs
4 level tspn table salt
Thick milk of 1/2 a coconut
1/2 bottle cooking oil
Optional(sugar coating)
1/2 lb sugar
1/2 cup water

Method

Steam the flour over 45 min. and sieve.Put into a bowl and spread the table salt.Whisk the eggs and add into the flour.Mix to a hard string hopper consistancy by mixing in the thick coconut milk.Syringe the mixture onto a board with the help of a murukku mould or an icing syringe with a large star nozzle.Cut into a suitable lengths and form loops etc. and deep fry in coconut oil, a little at a time.Strain on to a colander and later on to a paper.

Sugared Murukku(Optional)

Mix together the sugar and water.When it tracles slightly, toss the fried murukku into the sugar syrup spread on to a paper lined tray to cool.Store in a air tight container.

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KATTA-BIBBIKKAN

Ingredients
18 ozs. scraped coconut
3 full cups tracle
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup Semolina(rulang)roasted
1 Egg
2 ozs. pumpkin(cut)
2 ozs. cashew nuts(chopped)
1 oz. ginger preserve
1 oz. candeed peel(optional)
2 ozs. sultanas(optional)
Grated rind of 1 lime
4 cardamoms,Cloves and 1 inch stick Cinnamon(powdered)
1 tspn baking powder
3/4 lbs. dates(pitted and cut)
1 1/2 cups luke warm water(opproximately)

Method

Scrape the coconut fine(you can use frozen shredded coconut).Cook the treacle.Remove from fire and cool the mixture a little.Add the semolina,flour and the water alternately.Mix together the dry ingredients and spices and add into the mixture.Whisk the white of the mixture by adding a little more water if necessary.Four into a butterlined tray and arrange a few pieces of cashew nuts on top.Bake in a slow oven for about 1 1/2 hours.Test with a skewer before removing from oven.

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MUNG KAWUM

Ingredients
2 cups rice flour
2 cups roasted mung flour
1 1/2 cups honey
1/2 cup sugar(optional)
3/4 bottle cooking oil
a pinch of salt
For the Batter
1 Egg
Milk of 1/2 coconut
1 cup rice flour
2 dessert spn salt water

Method

Place the honey and sugar in a pan and cook over the fire until it boils, stirring all the time.Add the rice flour and the roasted Mung-ata flour gradually, stirring the mixture until the flour is cooked and the mixture thickens.Take the pan off the fire and turn the mixture onto a board.Untill mixture cools, pour about 1 1/2 - 2 cups of water into the pan in which the mixture was cooked
Place the pan back again over the fire, cook the "watery-mixture" stirring all the time until the water thickens.Take the pan off the fire and allow the cunjee to cool.Now knead the mixtire well until it is soft and smooth enough to be rolled on the board.After flattening out, cut out the mixture into diamond shaped pieces.Dip the pieces in the batter and deep fry it.

To prepare the Batter
Place the flour into a bowl and make a smooth batter using a little of the milk at a time.Add the beaten egg, salt and water and the remaining milk until a consistency is formed which will coat the back of a spoon.

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KONDA KAWUM

Ingredients
2 measures white rice flour(raw)
2 cups all-purpose flour
6 cups coconut honey
1/2 or 3/4lbs. sugar
about 2 cups water
salt

Method

Soak the rice for about 3-4 hours.Pound and sieve with a very fine sieve. Put salt and knead the dough with honey and add the sugar to make the mixture to a thick pan cake batter consistency by adding water(cold). Leave for about 2 to 3hrs and cook kawuns in deep oil in a small frying pan.

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ALUWA

Ingredients
3 cups roasted rice flour
2 cups honey
2 ozs. cashew nuts

Method

Roast the rice flour well and sieve.Heat the honey till it treacles.Remove pan from the fire.Mix in the roasted flour and the sliced cashewnuts.A flexible consistency should be obtained.Roll out on a well floured board.Cut into diamond shapes.

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RULANG ALUWA

Ingredients
2 cups roasted rice flour
1 cups roasted semolina(rulang)
1 1/2 cups honey
1/4 lb. sugar
2 ozs. cashew nuts chopped

Method

Roast the rice flour well, sieve and set aside.Roast the rulang too well, and set aside separately.Strain the honey and heat with the sugar.When the mixture treacles, take the pan off the fire and add all the rulang and the chopped cashew nuts.Leave aside 1/4 ib. of the flour and add the rest gradually into the mixture. It should be of a flexible consistency. Spread some flour on a board, and roll out the slab of aluwa on it and cut in diamond shapes.

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SOW-DO-DHOL

Ingredients

2 cups steamed all purpose flour
1 cup roasted rice flour
3 cups thick coconut milk of 1 coconut
2 cups Honey
1 dessert spn salt water
Hot water

Method

Sieve the two kinds of flour together and place in a roomy bowl.Spread the hot water a little at a time and make the pittu.When all the pittu is ready steam well in a pittu mould or a string hopper steamer.Break up the steamed pittu and place in a pan.Cook together with the honey, coconut milk and salt water.
When the mixture thickens, take the pan off the fire and dish mixture on to a rice platter or a large flat plate.Smoothen the top with back of a spoon or a greased banana leaf.When cool, cut into squares or diamond shaped pieces.

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MUSKET

Ingredients

3 lbs. sugar
1 lb flour
3 bottles water
1 bottle coconut oil
2 tspn vanilla
6 cardamoms(powdered)
1/4 lb cashew nuts(cut fine)

Method

Make a ballof dough with the flour using extra water and soak this ball of dough in the 3 bottles of water and occasionally wash it and turn so that the flour will get washed leaving the gluton in a ball.Throw the gluton away.Strain the starch and all the water into a pan with sugar and half of the coconut oil and cook on a low flame.Keep stirring continously.When it boils for about 45 minutes add more coconut oil.Finally after 1 1/2 hours, it should form a ball.At this stage take the pan off the fire.Add the vanilla, spices and cashews and pour into a deep square pan and leave to set.

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POTATO TOFFEE

Ingredients

1 lb. Potato
2 lbs. sugar
1 cup shredded coconut
Butter
7 0r 8 cardomoms(powdered)
2 tspn vanilla

Method

Boil the potatoes till very soft, mash them and add the sugar. Cook in a low flame. When the mixture starts treacling, add the pat of butter and the shredded coconut and continue cooking.When the sides of the pan starts drying up and the mixture starts collecting, turn on to a buttered board or tray and flatten. Cut into desired sizes.

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CARAMEL PUDDING

Ingredients

1 can condensed milk
1 can water
1 tspn vanilla
8 eggs

For the caramel
1 cup sugar

Method

To prepare the caramel, in a small,heavy saucepan,combine 1 cup sugar and a little water and place pan on low heat and stir until the sugar syrup turns golden brown.Remove pan from heat and pour it to a oven proof dish which you are going to bake the pudding.

Mix condensed milk, water and vanilla in a bowl.Then add the beaten eggs to the mixture and beat well. Strain the mixture to the baking dish with a strainer and cover with foil. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Now place the dish in a baking tray with a little water and bake it in the oven for a about 50 minutes or until well done.Let it cool to room temperature , cover the dish and leave in the refrigerator for several hours, preferably over night. Take out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving. Carefully invert on to a serving dish allowing the caramel to run down the sides.

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