Ingredients
Sweet
- 500 grice flour, dry-roasted
- 400 gkithul treacle or jaggery syrup
- 150 mlwater
- ½ tspground cardamom
- ¼ tspsalt
- 60 gcashews, chopped (optional)
To finish
- extra roasted rice flour, for dusting
- ghee or oil, for the tray
Directions
- Dry-roast the rice flour in a heavy pan over low heat for 10–12 minutes, stirring constantly, until it smells toasted and turns the faintest shade darker. Do not let it colour properly. Sieve it and set aside.
- Bring the treacle and water to a boil in a wide heavy pan and cook to the soft-ball stage, about 115°C (240°F) on a thermometer, or until a drop in cold water forms a ball you can flatten between your fingers. This is the step the sweet stands or falls on.
- Take the pan off the heat and beat in the cardamom and salt.
- Add the roasted rice flour in three additions, beating hard with a wooden spoon after each. It thickens very fast and becomes difficult to stir — this is expected, and it is why aluwa is made in a wide pan with a strong spoon.
- Stir in the cashews if using, then tip the mass onto a greased tray or board dusted with roasted flour.
- Press it out to about 1.5 cm thick with a greased rolling pin or the back of a spoon while it is still hot and workable. Once it cools it cannot be shaped.
- Score into diamonds immediately, then leave 2 hours to set firm before breaking along the lines. Stored airtight it keeps two weeks.
Technique
- Roasting the flour is what stops aluwa tasting raw and floury, and it also dries it, which helps it set.
- Undercook the syrup and it never firms; overcook it and the sweet turns hard and brittle instead of dense and chewy. The cold-water test is more reliable than a thermometer if you are unsure.
- Work fast once the flour is in. You have perhaps two minutes of workable time.
Substitutions
- Palm jaggery dissolved in water replaces kithul treacle, with a slightly less smoky flavour.
- Golden syrup or dark honey will set, but the result is noticeably not Sri Lankan.
Variations
- Kalu dodol, a much darker, longer-cooked coconut-and-treacle relative.
- A version with grated coconut worked in with the flour.
History
Made for the Sinhala and Tamil new year in April, when tables are laid with sweetmeats for visitors.
Frequently asked questions
What is Aluwa?
Aluwa is a dessert from Sri Lanka: diamond-cut sweet of rice flour and treacle, firm and lightly cardamom-scented. Made for the Sinhala and Tamil new year in April, when tables are laid with sweetmeats for visitors.
How long does Aluwa take to make?
Aluwa takes 20 min plus 2 hr setting of preparation and 25 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 30 diamonds. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Aluwa?
Yes, within limits. Palm jaggery dissolved in water replaces kithul treacle, with a slightly less smoky flavour. Golden syrup or dark honey will set, but the result is noticeably not Sri Lankan.
What is the most important thing to get right in Aluwa?
Dry-roast the rice flour in a heavy pan over low heat for 10–12 minutes, stirring constantly, until it smells toasted and turns the faintest shade darker. Do not let it colour properly. Sieve it and set aside.
