Yakpati, a traditional Sri Lankan sweet from the up country region
Yakpati is a traditional sweet that has a soft outer layer with a tasty coconut filling inside. This sweet originated from the up country region of Sri Lanka. It had a notable mention by Robert Knox, a sailor, in his book "An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon". It is very simple to make requiring only a few basic ingredients like Rice Flour and grated Coconut. This is a great light breakfast that is perfect with a tea.
Few people know about this recipe and most people mistake this for Sri Lankan Wandu or Gottu Pittu. Although similar, they have small differences in ingredients and are prepared differently.
In the video, we show you how to steam these Yakpati in the traditional way in Sri Lanka called "wanduwe thambanawa". We take a clay pot and cover the top with a food grade cotton cloth and then secure the cloth using a rope. We pour hot water on top of the cloth and then place the Yakpati on top of the cloth. Then we cover the Yakpati using a lid and then put it on the stove to steam.
If you like these type of old traditional sweets from Sri Lankan history, you will want to try my Laalu or Vibara recipes.
Ingredients
- 150g of Rice Flour
- 150g of All Purpose Flour
- Salt
- Half a tsp of Yeast
- Coconut Water (can use lukewarm Water instead)
- Jack Tree Leaves (can use Banana or Kande Leaves instead)
- 100g of Sugar
- 150g of grated Coconut
- Cinnamon Powder
- Cumin Seeds
Instructions
- Add 150g of Rice Flour into a bowl.
- Add 150g of All Purpose Flour.
- Add Salt to taste.
- Add half a tsp of Yeast
- Add Coconut Water (can use lukewarm Water instead) a little at a time while mixing everything together until you get a dough.
- Cover the bowl and set it aside for 1 hour to let the dough rise.
- Take the Jack Tree Leaves and fold it into a cone shape and then use a toothpick to hold the shape.
- Heat a saucepan over medium heat.
- Add 1 tbsp of the 100g of Sugar.
- When the Sugar starts to brown, add half a cup of Water.
- Now add the remaining Sugar.
- Add 150g of grated Coconut.
- Add Salt to taste.
- Add some Cinnamon Powder.
- Add some Cumin Seeds.
- Stir everything together.
- Keep stirring frequently until this mixture has thickened and it has a heavy feel to the spoon.
- After letting the dough rest, add a very small amount of thick Coconut Milk.
- Mix the dough thoroughly.
- Rub some Coconut Oil on the inside of the Jack Tree Leaf cone.
- Fill the cone with the dough mixture making sure to leave some space in the middle.
- Add the Coconut filling into the middle.
- Cover the top of the cone with the dough mixture.
- Repeat this process for the rest of the cones.
- Steam these Yakpati for about 15 minutes.
- When ready to eat, remove and discard the toothpick and Leaf.
Photos
