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Palmyrah has been the Mother Nature’s gift to the arid Jaffna peninsula and is a fallback to the Jaffna peasantry during times of grain shortage and food scarcity. This Palm, unlike other varieties, takes about two decades to bare fruition. Delicacy made from the fruit puree is a special all time snack in Tamil homes. Here is the recipie:

Ingredients:

Fully ripened Palmyrah fruits- 2
Sugar-250grams
Salt-to taste
Thick coconut milk-1/2 cup
White coconut oil or vegetable oil-1 bottle to fry
Steamed wheat flour-250grams

Method:

Bake the Palmyrah fruits in a very low fire or grill.
When cool,wash the fruits and remove the skin.
Break the fruit and take the seeds,and
sprinkle in little water and squeeze out the juice.
Similarly squeeze all the seeds. Then put the juice
on a muslin cloth and squeeze. Thus the pieces
of husks are removed and clear puree/juice is obtained.
Now add the steamed wheat flour, coconut milk, sugar,
salt with the juice and mix well. The batter should be thick
enough that could fall from the fingers when dropped.
Heat the oil in a deep frying pan, when the oil is boiling,
take some batter in the fingers and drop little by little in the oil.
The dropped batter will blow and get fried. Turn them with frying
spoon now and then. When they turn to a yellowish red colour,
collect and put them on a strainer.When drained,spread them on a piece of paper to take off the oil.

Bottled Palmyrah puree is available in most Asian and Indian – Sri Lankan Food Stores.

BON APETIT!

Tamil Festivals, Food & Fanfare, By Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai