The Indian subcontinent · Volume 25, The Roasted Spice, the Palmyrah Coast and the Coral Atoll
Wattalapam
Sri Lankan Moor, likely Malay in true origin
Illustration
- Time
- 15 minutes
Adopted, named and popularised by the Sri Lankan Moor community, though its likely true origin is Malay. A steamed coconut and jaggery custard, dense, dark and deeply spiced.
As tradition built it
Serves 6 to 8. 15 minutes to prepare, 45 minutes to steam.
Ingredients
The method as the tradition gives it, with the ingredients named. Quantities follow as we verify them, lead dishes first.
- 10 eggs
- 500 g jaggery
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 cup thick coconut milk
- 1 tsp cardamom powder
- nutmeg powder
- A pinch a pinch of salt
Method
- Melt the jaggery with the water over low heat until fully dissolved, then leave to cool slightly.
- Beat the eggs and combine them with the cooled jaggery syrup, coconut milk, cardamom, nutmeg and salt.
- Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a heatproof dish, to remove any undissolved jaggery grit.
- Steam for 45 minutes, until just set with a gentle wobble at the centre.
- Cool completely before serving; wattalapam is traditionally eaten at room temperature or chilled, not warm.
What a modern chef changes
An even, gentle set, and a spice bloomed rather than simply stirred in raw.
Rung 4 (applied to controlled, low reduction rather than a full one)
Method
- Steam in a water bath (bain marie) inside a covered dish, at a low, held temperature, rather than a fierce open steam, for an even, silky set without the surface pitting a hard boil can cause.
- Toast the cardamom and nutmeg briefly in a dry pan before grinding, waking up their aromatic oils in a way pre-ground spice straight from the jar cannot match.
- Pass the finished custard through a chinois after steaming, while still warm, for a completely smooth, glossy set.