Laalu, a traditional sweet from Sri Lankan history
Laalu is an old traditional sweet from Sri Lankan history that many people do not know about. It is a crispy sweet made from sun drying Sago and has a coating of a sweet syrup. Laalu, along with Yakpati, is often used as an offering to Ganesha.
Laalu has many names depending on the region in Sri Lanka. Some of these names are Kola Laalu, Sao Asmi, Wala Kulu, Sao Muthu, and Sao Waddam.
If you are making this not as an offering, if you want, you can use either Water or Milk instead of Coconut Milk.
We need to sun dry these Laalu for about a day on top of Jackfruit Tree leaves. After sun drying it, we will separate the Laalu from the leaves and then fry them.
If you like these types of old traditional sweets from Sri Lankan history, you will want to try my Yakpati or Vibara recipes.
Ingredients
- 100g of Sago
- Coconut Milk
- Salt
- 60g of Sugar
- Jackfruit Tree Leaves
Instructions
- Wash 100g of Sago thoroughly and then add it into a bowl.
- Add Coconut Milk until all of the Sago is covered.
- Add Salt to taste.
- Cook over medium heat for about 2 to 3 minutes until thickened (do not overcook it, the Sago should still be firm).
- Wipe the Jackfruit Tree leaves clean.
- Rub some Coconut Oil on the leaf side of the Jackfruit Tree leaves.
- Now add some of the Sago mixture on the leaf and spread it evenly.
- Sun dry these Laalu thoroughly for about 1 day.
- After sun drying, remove the Laalu from the leaves.
- Fry the Laalu until it is a golden color (you can lightly fry it instead if you want).
- Now heat 1 tbsp of Sugar into a saucepan over medium heat.
- When the Sugar starts to turn brown, add half a cup of Water.
- Add 60g of Sugar.
- Stir frequently and cook until all of the Sugar has melted and you have a dark brown Sugar syrup.
- Let this Sugar syrup cool down.
- After adding the Laalu into a serving plate, pour the Sugar syrup in any pattern you want on top of the Laalu using a spoon (we added only a thin layer of the Syrup spread apart in the Laalu).
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