Jaggery and Coconut milk Pudding/Watalappan

I’ve been away from my blog for sometime,It felt like a long silence.I was desperate to post,to get things out in the open,first Ramadan, then this excitement kept me busy.I was super excited..yeah..super excited.My little ones started schooling.
It seems like yesterday when I held my babies in my arms,having no clue as to what to do or how to take care.I braved myself for the task taking each day in with my Dearest DH next to me.It’s been forty months since then and now my little boys donned in uniforms,are off to school.Just can’t believe we made this far.
They’ve been to nursery before but this is the first step to the real world..An episode of life which I’m sure we all miss…More than them I love going to the school.It brings back all those lovely memories..chatting away with friends without a care in the world,delicious food being shared..Wish I could go back in time…

I wanted to celebrate with a post but taking the pictures and writing it up took time with the boys meddling around.Here I bring one of SriLanka’s favorite desserts and one we Muslims are famed for making..
Friends and colleagues flock around you,when you get back to school or work after the Eid holidays eagerly awaiting to taste this mouthwatering and healthy(Did I say healthy..? It doesn’t have sugar) dessert…
I love the look on their faces when I present them with a big bowl of Watalappan,like a bunch of small kids who’ve been given a bag full of candies.

But I never really tried my hands on making it.I’ve been quite happy helping my aunt make it for all of us.The steaming part kept me off of it.The pudding was steamed in Aluminum bowls in a large pot with a lid and a heavy load like a Mortar was kept on the lid to avoid the steam escaping.Big pots,heavy loads,steam,that’s how I remember it.
But recently one of my good friends over here made it without a fuss.I got the ingredients down and was thinking to give it a try when my dear friend Maya wanted me to post it.How can I turn her down? I wasn’t even there for her wedding…saddens me..

I used dark Jaggery(unrefined,wholesome sugar made from the sap of palm trees) which gives an intense flavour and rich brown color,called Kithul Jaggery,widely used in SriLanka. But if you’re using the lighter variety of the Indian jaggery you might want to add some caramelized sugar.I steamed the pudding in an Idly cooker which has a tight fitting lid and it came out beautifully.

Here’s the recipe

Steamed Jaggery and Coconut Milk Pudding

Ingredients:
250 g Jaggery
1 cup thick Coconut milk
4 eggs
5 to 6 Cardomoms crushed
Pinch of salt
Cashews roasted and sliced
Raisins to garnish

Method:

• Crush the jaggery(I used a Mortar for this),add about 2 tbsp of water and melt it in low flame.Once melted take it from the fire,keep whisking till it cools down a bit.
• Add the coconut milk to the mixture and whisk.
• In a seperate bowl,beat the eggs with crushed cardomoms and a pinch of salt.
• Combine the two mixtures and beat.
• Strain the mixture,pour it into a bowl and steam for about 25 minutes.
• Garnish it with cashews and raisins.

* You can use a caramel syrup to increase the sweetness.Make it by caramelizing 3 tbsp of sugar and adding 3 to 4 tbsp of water,stirring continuously to get the right consistency.Pour it over the cooled pudding.
* As with any steamed pudding using eggs,don’t forget to discard the tiny white specks attached to the yolks,I don’t know what you call it but I suppose it’s the part that forms into a head… 🙂
* This is best served chilled.