How to make Puhul Dosi, Winter Melon Candy Recipe
Puhul Dosi is a sweet made from Winter Melon that everyone in Sri Lanka likes to eat. The Winter Melon is softened and then mixed with a Sugar syrup. Although it sounds easy to make, there are a few important steps we need to do to get it right. This recipe will show you how to make it correctly using only 2 ingredients.
You need a ripened Winter Melon when making Puhul Dosi. When buying the Winter Melon, look for a powdery ash coating on the outside of the Winter Melon. If you grow Winter Melons at home, another way to look for a ripened Winter Melon is to see if it breaks off easily from the vine which means it's ripened.
When making Puhul Dosi, it is important to remove the Water content from the Puhul Dosi. To do this, we soften it by first soaking it in a Limestone solution and then boiling it. This will help save time by reducing the amount of Sugar that is needed and will help absorb the Sugar more easily.
If you like Sri Lankan sweets, you might be interested in trying my Rulan Musket and Idiyappam Dodol recipes.
Ingredients
- 1kg Ripened Winter Melon
- 450g of Sugar
Instructions
- Cut the Winter Melon into quarters.
- Cut the quarters into halves.
- Remove any left over middle core from each of the halves.
- Remove the peels from each of the Winter Melon pieces.
- Now using a fork, pierce both sides of the Winter Melon pieces.
- Slice the Winter Melon pieces.
- Now add some Water into a pot.
- Stir in 1 tbsp of Limestone paste.
- Add the Winter Melon pieces into the pot.
- Set the pot aside for 8 to 10 hours.
- Now wash these Winter Melon 3 to 4 times until all the Limestone paste is removed.
- Squeeze the Winter Melon so that any remaining Water is removed and then add it into a bowl.
- Boil a pot of Water.
- Add the Winter Melon pieces.
- Boil for 10 minutes.
- After boiling, let it cool down.
- Now squeeze the Winter Melon again so that any remaining Water is removed and then add it into a bowl. Important: Make sure to remove all the Water from the Winter Melon.
- Add the Winter Melon pieces into a pot.
- Add 250g of Sugar.
- Turn on the stove to low heat and stir frequently.
- Once the Sugar has melted, add another 150g of Sugar.
- Stir frequently until all the Sugar has melted.
- Now turn off the stove and set the pot aside for 2 to 3 hours so all the Sugar syrup has been absorbed by the Winter Melon.
- Once all the Sugar has been absorbed, add 50g of Sugar.
- Turn on the stove and stir until all the Sugar has melted.
- Now turn off the stove and let the Winter Melon cool down.
Photos
