Name: Sri Lankan wattalapam
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 500g dark jaggery, coarsley grated; 250ml thick coconut milk; 8 eggs; ¼ tsp freshly ground nutmeg; ¼ tsp ground cinnamon; ¼ tsp ground cardamom; ½ tsp vanilla extract; 50g coconut flakes, toasted (optional)

Wattalapam in a bowl topped with coconut flakes

500g dark jaggery
coarsley grated
250ml thick coconut milk
8 eggs
¼ tsp freshly ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cardamom
½ tsp vanilla extract
50g coconut flakes
toasted (optional)

Method

step 1
Gently melt the jaggery in a medium pan over a medium heat until liquid and golden. Take the pan off the heat and let it cool. Whisk the coconut milk into the melted jaggery. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with the spices, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Add the coconut milk mixture to the eggs and gently whisk until combined. Strain the mixture into a jug and discard the solids. Pour into six ramekins.
step 2
Divide the ramekins between two large, lidded pots and carefully fill the pots with hot water until a quarter of each ramekin is submerged. Cover with foil before adding the lids and steam for 30-40 mins over a medium-low heat – the mixture should set but still have a slight wobble in the middle. Carefully remove the ramekins from the pans and cool before transferring to the fridge and chilling overnight. To serve, dip the ramekins into hot water for 10 seconds, then release slightly with a palette knife. Flip out onto a plate and serve with toasted coconut flakes, desiccated coconut, honeycomb, nuts or anything else you’d like to add texture.