Watalappan

Name: Watalappan
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 170 min
Total time: 180 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Sri Lankan
Ingredients: 4 whole eggs; 200 g kithul jaggery (or dark palm jaggery, grated); 300 ml thick coconut milk; 4 pcs cardamom pods (crushed); 1 pinch nutmeg (grated); 2 tbsp cashews (chopped, for garnish)

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A Cooksy cook

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A steamed coconut custard sweetened with kithul jaggery and perfumed with cardamom, brought to Sri Lanka by Malay settlers and now a centerpiece of Eid and festive tables across the island.

Servings6 SERVINGS

Ingredients

0 of 6 gathered · scaled for 6

Method

Melt the jaggery

Melt the jaggery with a splash of water over low heat into a smooth syrup, then strain it to remove any grit.

Jaggery often carries impurities — always strain the syrup through a fine sieve before using it.

8 min

Whisk the custard

Whisk the eggs lightly, then whisk in the cooled jaggery syrup, coconut milk, crushed cardamom and nutmeg.

Whisk gently rather than vigorously — too much air in the mixture makes the set custard porous.

3 min

Strain the mixture

Strain the custard into a heatproof dish to remove the cardamom husks and any lumps.

Steam the custard

Cover the dish and steam it over gently simmering water until just set with a slight wobble in the center.

Keep the water at a gentle simmer, not a hard boil, or the custard will curdle and turn spongy.

40 min

Chill

Let the watalappan cool completely, then chill it before serving.

120 min

Garnish and serve

Scatter the chopped cashews over the top and slice to serve.

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Watalappan

6 steps · 4 timers · 6 servings