Joanna James
Kandy, the last kingdom of Sri Lanka, offers many tasty dishes passed down from generations of ancient Kandyan families. Most are traditionally based on vegetables and sweetmeats. Check out below to find out which of these delicacies catches your attention.
A traditional vegetable curry that comprises seven kinds of vegetables, hathmaluwa is a delicious and nutritious curry eaten alongside rice. Typical vegetables used are jackfruit seeds, sweet potato, cashews, beans, pumpkin leaves, cassava, eggplant, pumpkin, carrot, ash plantain, and green vegetables like mukunuwenna, sarana and thampala. The curry is flavoured with plenty of spices like coriander, cinnamon, pepper, chilli, cumin, fennel, mustard seeds, tamarind, garlic and onions. The concoction gets simmered in fresh, thick, coconut milk to develop the flavour.
A perennial favourite of Sri Lankans, this curry is a mainstay at mealtimes in most Kandyan households. Tender baby jackfruit chunks are boiled and slow-cooked alongside a slew of spices in thick coconut milk and tamarind to give it a slightly sour and spicy flavour combination.
Seeds of the jackfruit when cooked become creamy and nutty and packed with plenty of plant-based protein and complex carbs. A unique spice blend of raw rice, fresh coconut, chilli powder, peppercorns, cardamom, fenugreek seeds and cinnamon is dry roasted and crushed into a powder and is the star component of the dish. This mix, alongside the seeds, is slow cooked in thick coconut milk until the gravy is reduced and the flavour develops. The likes of Kandy Escapes are great sources to get to know about the historic city and its environs.
A traditional sweet, especially during the Sinhalese New Year, aluwa is made from raw rice flour, kithul treacle, and cardamom. Sometimes, cashew nuts are added to make it tastier. Kithul treacle (made from the sap of the tree, Caryota urens) is boiled alongside the spices to infuse it. Afterwards, the rice flour is added to form a dough, which is cut into diamond-shaped pieces, and left to harden. For a lovely combination, pair it with a hot cup of tea!
If you travel to Kandy, this is another famous sweet treat that you simply must try! Originally hailing from the Matale District in Kandy, the decadent undu wal, also commonly known as pani walalu (honey rings), is best made here! A thick paste made from urad dal, rice flour, coconut milk, and salt gets squeezed into hot oil from a bag to the shape of twirls. Once it becomes golden brown, it is straight away dipped into warm kithul treacle, allowing it to absorb all the sticky goodness! The perfect undu wal should be crispy and dripping with treacle as you bite in!
Deep-fried strips of eggplant are mixed with green chillies and shallots, along with vinegar and mustard. Some may even cook it with a little coconut milk to give it a creamy sweet and tangy taste. The dish is a much-loved favourite and goes well with yellow rice.
Aggala is made from raw rice flour, coconut, salt, kithul treacle/jaggery and pepper. The rice is roasted until it becomes nutty and fragrant and then ground to a fine powder. The flour gets mixed with the other ingredients, and the hot treacle is added to form a dough. Balls are made out of the mixture and left to harden. Its taste is unique, with a sweet and peppery aftertaste.
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
