Undu Walalu

Sri Lankan New Year sweet of fermented black gram and rice flour batter piped into rings, fried crisp, and soaked in kithul treacle

Origin: Colombo & Sri Lanka

From the journey of Black Gram.

Undu walalu, also called pani walalu, are rings of fried black gram batter soaked in syrup, one of the sweets laid out on the table for the Sinhala and Tamil New Year in April. Undu is the Sinhala name for black gram, the same pulse Tamil calls ulundu, and walalu means rings. The batter is ground from split urad, thickened with rice flour, and, unlike North Indian imarti, left to ferment for several hours until it rises and turns faintly sour. The finish is what makes them Sri Lankan. Instead of a sugar syrup, the fried rings are traditionally soaked in kithul pani, the dark treacle boiled down from the sap of the kithul palm, Caryota urens, which gives them a smoky, almost caramel flavour quite unlike cane sugar. They share the New Year table with kavum, the fried oil cakes of rice flour and treacle, and kokis, the crisp flower-shaped cookies, and with milk rice, kiribath. The rituals of the New Year set auspicious times for lighting the hearth and eating the first meal, and the sweets are made in the days before so that they are ready when the time comes.

Ingredients

Batter

200 g split skinless urad dal, soaked for 4 hours
3 tbsp rice flour
1 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp thick coconut milk
0.25 tsp salt

Syrup

250 ml kithul treacle, or 200 g jaggery dissolved in 150 ml water and simmered to a syrup
2 whole cardamom pods, crushed (optional)

Frying

750 ml coconut oil or neutral oil, for frying

Method

Drain the urad dal and grind it with the coconut milk to a very smooth, thick paste. Stir in the rice flour, plain flour, and salt.
Cover and leave in a warm place for 8 to 12 hours, until risen, aerated, and faintly sour.
Warm the kithul treacle with the cardamom in a wide pan and keep it just warm.
Beat the fermented batter briefly and spoon it into a piping bag with a small plain nozzle or a thick cloth with a small hole.
Heat the oil to about 170 °C and pipe rings about 6 cm across, with a small loop pattern around the edge if you like. Fry three or four at a time, turning once, for three to four minutes, until crisp and golden.
Drain briefly and drop the rings into the warm treacle for three to five minutes, turning, until well soaked, then lift onto a rack to set.

Notes

Kithul treacle is sold in Sri Lankan grocers. Jaggery syrup is the usual substitute, but the flavour is lighter and less smoky. Undu walalu keep for three to four days in an airtight tin. The rings firm up as they cool and become pleasantly chewy.

The Gastrographer

Name: Undu Walalu
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 14 h
Yield: 12
Cuisine: Colombo & Sri Lanka
Ingredients: 200 g split skinless urad dal, soaked for 4 hours; 3 tbsp rice flour; 1 tbsp plain flour; 2 tbsp thick coconut milk; 0.25 tsp salt; 250 ml kithul treacle, or 200 g jaggery dissolved in 150 ml water and simmered to a syrup; 2 whole cardamom pods, crushed (optional); 750 ml coconut oil or neutral oil, for frying

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control