Watalapam is a traditional Sri Lankan dessert recipe that is made with coconut milk and pure jaggery or soft Kitul jaggery. This is a simple dessert and requires very basic ingredients like eggs, jaggery or brown sugar, cardamom and coconut milk. It can be baked in Brian Marie (water bath in an oven) or steamed in a pot on stove.
Traditionally, it was steamed and I also found steaming easy and so I’m sharing the same method.
This dish has very earthen and soulful taste. My kids just love it. I came to know about this dessert on a cooking show. My mother in law watches this show regularly and she suggested me to try this recipe. And I’m glad, I did and so will you if you try it.
Although, it is a technically coconut pudding but it tastes different and not like regular coconut pudding. Watalapam, in usually garnished with roasted cashew but I used cream and pistachio in garnish. The sugar free cream give a very tasteful combo with sweetness of pudding while the green colour of pistachio is also very tempting. Obviously, you can use any roasted nuts of your choice like cashew, almonds or pistachio.
The flavor of cardamom is also is very eastern in the dessert. Cardamom is staple in every Indian Kitchen but you can use vanilla extract too if you do not have cardamom in your American kitchen.
The taste of jaggery ( or brown is very strong in this dish so people who love jaggery desserts like Malida or gur pani are likely to enjoy it. Also those who love egg pudding and coconut will enjoy this treat immensely.
Finally, this is very nutritious dessert because it has eggs, coconut milk and just natural sugar in the form of brown sugar or jaggery. A great choice for kids.
My other similar recipe
How to make Sri lankan dessert recipe – Watalapam
Sri Lankan Dessert – Watalapam Recipe
Equipment
- Pudding tin
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon butter
- ¼ cup water
- 1 ¾ cup (or 250 gram) kitul jaggery or brown sugar – , packed
- 1 cup coconut milk – , canned
- 5 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
- A pinch salt
- ½ cup cream
- Pistachio – or cashews to garnish
Instructions
- Grease a 6 inch pudding mould with butter.
- In pan heat water and brown on low heat with constant stirring. Cook for 2-3 minutes until brown sugar melts completely into a syrup.
- Let the syrup cool to room temperature then add coconut milk, mix well and set aside.
- In a bowl beat 5 eggs with a whisk and add the brown sugar syrup. Mix well.
- Now place the strainer over the greased mould and strain the pudding mixture simultaneously filling the mould.
- Cover the mould with a foil paper.
- Fill a large pot ¼ with water and bring water to boil. Place the pudding mould in the pot and place a heavy lid on the pot so steam cannot escape. Cook for 40-50 minutes until pudding set completely but still jiggly upon shaking.
- Remove mould from steam bath and bring it to room temperature. Then place it in the fridge to chill for 4-5 hours.
- When Watalapam is chilled, run a knife across the edges to loosen the mould.
- Place a plate on the mould then flip the mould to remove the pudding.
- Spread whipped cream on pudding, garnish with pistachios and serve chilled.
Video
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