Dodol recipe made from jaggery | Asian Sweet recipe

Dodol recipe made from jaggery | Asian Sweet recipe | by Nature Village Asia

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Dodol recipe made from jaggery | Asian Sweet recipe | by Nature Village Asia
The history of dodol production is closely related to one of its main ingredients, gula aren or palm sugar, a traditional sugar made from the sap of Arenga pinnata plant, and also rice flour. It is a popular sweet treat and one of the oldest indigenous sweets developed in the Maritime Southeast Asia. The exact origin of dodol is unclear; while there is a remarkable diversity in preparations of the product within the island communities of Java and Sumatra, the variants tend to be adaptations of post-colonial crops."Dodol" is a word of Sundanese origin, whereas in Javanese it is called jenang.
Dodol is believed to have been introduced to Southern India and Sri Lanka by migrants from Indonesia.It has also been attributed to the Portuguese, who occupied parts of the country during the 16th and 17th centuries.Several dodol recipes have been developed in Sri Lanka, such as kalu dodol.
Dodol is made from coconut milk, jaggery, and rice flour, and is sticky, thick, and sweet. The cooking process would reduce the contents up to half as the liquid evaporates. It normally takes up to 9 hours to cook. During the entire cooking process, the dodol must be constantly stirred in a big wok. Pausing in between would cause it to burn, spoiling the taste and aroma. The dodol is completely cooked when it is firm, and does not stick to one's fingers when touching it.
Kalu dodol is a dark, almost gel-like candy, made from jaggery, coconut milk, and rice flour, which is said to have been brought to Sri Lanka by immigrants from Malaysia. That said, there is a school of thought which suggests that kalu dodol may have actually originated with the occupying Portuguese in the 16th century, while others claim it was Indonesian settlers who brought with them their technique for making this delicious confectionary.
While its true origins have disappeared into the mists of time, kalu dodol remains one of Sri Lanka‘s most popular sweetmeats, and like kaju aluwa, is traditionally made and eaten in April, during Avurudu, the Sinhalese New Year celebrations.
Hambanthota, in the south of the island is perhaps most famous for being the kalu dodol capital of Sri Lanka, and actually, if you look at the region’s history, the suggestion that this dodol was introduced by people from Indonesia makes sense. Why? Because it was there that traders from Indonesia settled.
Hambanthota gets its name from the ships the Indonesian, Thai, and Chinese merchants arrived in - sampans. Thota is the Sinhalese word for “port”, so Sampanthota (and later, Hambanthota) quite literally means “port of the sampans”.
The kalu dodol industry is a major source of employment and income for the people of Hambanthota, not least because there’s a thriving trade to be had, selling the candy to pilgrims making their way to nearby Kataragama,
Which is home to a syncretic temple, serving Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims. It’s also home to a 2,300-year-old sacred Bodhi tree. Sinhalese Buddhists believe that Kataragama was sanctified by Buddha himself.
Made in large amounts, kalu dodol is incredibly time consuming, and is best made with two people working in tandem. This is why in the main, most folk, especially those with busy, modern lives, prefer to simply buy it from shops.
That’s not to say that there aren’t those who still make it the traditional way, and of course, as with almost all Sri Lankan cooking, although there is more or less a standard method, there is no one actual definitive recipe.
Kithul jaggery is mixed with coconut milk and rice flour, and then boiled in a pan until it has reduced to around half of its original volume. Spices and cashews may be added, and then it’s simmered, stirring continually to prevent burning, until the coconut oil begins to separate out and float to the surface. This oil must be removed or else the candy will be greasy. The kalu dodol is ready once it’s become thick and jelly-like, at which point, it’s poured into a suitably-sized tray, and left to cool before cutting up.
WHAT IS KITHUL JAGGERY?
Jaggery is a soft, deep brown sugar with an almost smoky caramel taste, which comes from the sap (toddy) taken from the base of the flower cluster of the sugar palm, Caryota urens. Kithul is the Sinhalese word for this huge palm, which grows to be on average, around 40 feet tall.
The leaves of the kithul are stripped away from their spines, which are then used to make fishing rods. It’s quite a sight to see Sri Lankan fishermen use these rods while perched on poles in the shallows of the Laccadive (Lakshadweep) Sea.
Unlike the standard sugar, which has had all the goodness removed (and then marketed separately as molasses), jaggery is actually a whole food, full of nutrients and micronutrients.