Name of the food | Main ingredients | Method of preparation | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
Aggala (Fig. 5a) | Roasted rice coarsely ground into flour, coconut or Kithul treacle, roasted and cracked mung bean, grated coconut, cashew, sesame, ground black pepper. | - Mixture of rice flour and ingredients is thickened with heat. - Form small balls of the paste and dusted with roasted flour. | - Ground cinnamon, black pepper and cashew pieces enhance taste. - Sesame seeds can be used for the coating. - Variations come from the flour source: left-over cooked rice dried, roasted and ground, roasted jack fruit seeds, or roasted maize seeds. |
Kewum/oil cakes (Fig. 5b) | Unroasted rice flour, coconut or Kithul treacle, salt, cumin (optional). | - Mixture of rice flour-liquid sweetener is portioned into boiling oil. - Deep fry till a brown skin is formed. - Mixture of flour and sweetener without any preheating makes a soft-spongy cake in the middle. - Cooking of flour and liquid sweetener makes a denser middle structure and creates a product variation. | - Variations are as konda kevum (Fig 5b), hendi kevum and athirasa. - Non-heat-treated rice flour mixed with liquid sweetener creates a soft, spongy texture with air holes in the middle of hendi- and konda kevum. The skilled cook can raise the middle of the cake like a hair knot during cooking and makes konda kevum. - Portions of heated mixture of flour and sweetener is made into flat circles and deep fried until brown skin is formed makes athirasa. |
Mung kewum (Fig. 5c) | Unroasted rice flour, flour of roasted mung bean, coconut or Kithul treacle, turmeric. | - Rice and mung bean flour mixed with liquid sweetener to a thick but pliable paste. - Flattened paste is cut into shapes or made into balls, batter coated (made of rice flour and turmeric) and deep fried. | - Horse gram flour can replace mung bean. - Variations: Nāran kewum (Fig. 5d) - Coarse pieces of roasted mung bean, cashew, with sweetened scraped coconut mixture made into balls, batter coated and deep fried. - Pittu cooked in liquid sweetener until hold together to form balls and batter coated and deep fried. |
Undu walalu (Fig. 5f) | Black gram (skin removed) flour, unroasted rice flour, coconut milk, sugar syrup or Kithul treacle, salt. | - Mixture of black gram and rice flour poured as a single strand through a small opening into boiling oil making a circular/coil shape structure. - When cooked soak in a sugar syrup. | - Polysaccharides of black gram creates thick viscous consistency of the mixture. - Wheat flour can replace some amount of rice flour but creates a denser texture. |
Ásmi (Fig. 5g) | Unroasted rice flour with fine particles, water and coconut milk extract of Neolitsea involucrate (Dawul kurundu leaves), salt. | - Mixture of rice flour and the slimy leaf extract is directly poured into a wok of boiling oil using a strainer (a coconut shell with tiny holes drilled in the bottom) to make a circular shape structure and fold-in-half during cooking. - A second deep frying of the product after 1–2 day of storage. - Decorate the top of the product with condensed sugar syrup (can add food coloring) before consumption. | - Mucilage-rich leaf extract provides continuous flour mixture strands during pouring and keeps structure pliability to fold into a semi-circular shaped product while frying. - A second frying gives the pure white color, delicately soft but crunchy texture. - Colored sugar syrup enhances taste and appearance. |
Kokis (Fig. 5h) | Unroasted rice flour coconut milk, salt, turmeric, eggs (optional). | - A special heated mold is dipped into the slightly thick flour batter. - The mold with batter coating is deep fried until the batter turns golden brown. - Use a skewer to release the crispy product from the mold. | - Brass mold (kokis achchuwa) comes in different shapes e.g., flowers, butterflies, stars, etc. and has a long handle. - Complex interactions of starch, protein and oil of the batter makes crispy yellow-brown product. |
Aluvā (Fig. 5i) | Roasted rice flour, coconut or Kithul treacle, salt. | - Cook rice flour-sweetener syrup mixture till a thick paste is formed. - Flattened the paste, cut into pieces and dust with roasted flour to prevent sticking. | - Cashew, sesame seeds, roasted shredded coconut, ground black pepper and ground dry ginger enhance, taste and flavor of the product. |
Kalu dodol/glutinous rice cake (Fig. 5j) | Unroasted rice flour, coconut milk, coconut or Kithul treacle or jaggery, cashew, cardamom, salt. | - Rice flour, coconut milk and sweeteners together are cooked and simmer till oil separate out. - Cooked flour mixture becomes a thick soft jelly that holds together. - Oil is spooned out and the soft gel is either transferred to a tray or folded in a cleaned wide base part of the arica nut tree. - Serve as cut pieces. | - Spices and cashews enhance taste. - Sago beads can be used. - Through oil removal extends product shelf life. - Complex changes occur with the protein, starch and lipids of the ingredients; Maillard reaction, lipid-protein interaction and polymerization, browning, etc. |
Welithalapa/Sowdodol (Fig. 5) | Unroasted rice flour, scraped coconut, cardamom, coconut or Kithul treacle, salt. | - Granules of pittu is made first then cooked in sweetened sugar syrup with flavorings until granules hold together. - Cooked mixture is flattened and cut into pieces. | - Smaller and uniform pittu granules are preferred. - Variation: the mixture can be formed into small balls, batter coated and deep fried to make Nāran kevum. |
Helapa (Fig. 5l) | Unroasted rice flour, finger millet flour, scraped coconut, coconut or kithul treacle, leaves of Macaranga peltata. | - Mixture of rice and finger millet flour with sweetened coconut (peni pol) is portioned and flattened between folded leaves of Macaranga peltata or banana. - Products are steamed until the flour mixture becomes a completely gelatinized mass. | - Moist heat gelatinizes starch and denatures protein and infuses unique leafy flavor notes to the product. - Supplementing the flour with ground dry flowers of Madhuca langlifolia, seeds of Shorea megistophylla or de-bittered seeds of Vateria copallifera depending on the availability improves health benefits of the product. |