Watalappan

This beautiful, spiced Sri Lankan custard makes a perfect finish to a meal. It can be served warm or chilled, in which case you could make the recipe a day in advance. Make a little extra syrup to spoon over the top if desired.

• serves

  8

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  1 hour

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 175 g jaggery or dark palm sugar, roughly chopped 
• 100 ml water 
• 375 ml coconut milk (homemade, or use a good-quality brand like Kara) 
• ½ tsp ground cardamom 
• ¼ tsp ground mace 
• pinch of ground cloves 
• 1 tbsp rosewater
• 200 ml cream 
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten 

Instructions

Put the jaggery or palm sugar and water in a saucepan and heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Leave to cool.

Preheat the oven to 140°C. Whisk the coconut milk with the spices and rosewater. Strain in the syrup, whisking to combine, then add the cream followed by the eggs. Transfer mixture to a jug, pour into 8 small ramekins and place in a baking dish. Pour hot water to come halfway up the ramekins and bake in the oven for 50–60 minutes, or until the custards are just set.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.