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Wandu appa (වංඩු ආප්ප, fermented rice cakes steamed in leaf cones)
Steamed rice treacle cakes
Soft, spongy rice-flour and treacle cakes steamed in little leaf cups
Wandu appa are sold in morning markets and at roadside kades all over the island, and they are one of the sweets that appear on the table for Avurudu. A batter of rice flour, coconut milk and kithul treacle is left to ferment for a few hours, then poured into small cones of kenda or jak leaf and steamed. They puff into tender, spongy domes with a gentle sourness, a caramel note from the treacle and the leafy aroma of their wrappers. Eat them warm for breakfast or with afternoon tea. They are naturally egg-free: yeast does the lifting that whisked eggs would do in a sponge, and the rice starch sets the bubbles in place as it steams. Banana-leaf cones or small paper-lined cups work too. Chef's tip: the common mistake is filling the cones to the brim; fill them two-thirds full so they rise into a dome instead of spilling over.
- Total time
- 240 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the batter
- 9 oz fine white rice flourroasted
- 1 tsp dried yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- ¼ cup warm water
- 1 ¼ cups coconut milk
- ¾ cup kithul treacleor palm jaggery syrup
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
For steaming
- 16 kenda, jak or banana leaf conespinned with a toothpick
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Stir 1 tsp dried yeast and 1 tsp sugar into ¼ cup warm water and leave for 10 minutes until frothy.
10 minStep 2: Whisk 9 oz fine white rice flour, ¼ tsp salt and ½ tsp ground cardamom in a large bowl. Add 1 ¼ cups coconut milk, ¾ cup kithul treacle and the yeast mixture and whisk into a smooth batter that flows like thick pouring cream.
Step 3: Cover and leave in a warm place for 3 hours, until the batter has risen by about half, smells pleasantly sour and is full of small bubbles.
180 minStep 4: Shape 16 kenda, jak or banana leaf cones into small cones and stand them upright in a steamer basket, packed close so they support each other.
Step 5: Stir the batter gently once and spoon it into the cones, filling each two-thirds full.
Step 6: Steam over boiling water, covered, for 20–25 minutes, until risen into domes, springy to the touch and a skewer comes out clean.
25 minStep 7: Cool for 5 minutes before serving warm in their leaves.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does wandu appa (වංඩු ආප්ප, fermented rice cakes steamed in leaf cones) take?
- About 240 minutes in total: 210 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of coconut milk?
- Single cream, same amount (not dairy free).
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