Kalu dodol (කළු දොදොල්) is a dark, dense and glossy Sri Lankan sweet made from kithul jaggery, coconut milk and rice flour. The name simply means black dodol, after the deep brown, almost black colour the jaggery gives it. The mixture is cooked down and stirred without a break until it turns into a thick, sticky paste that pulls away from the pan and releases its own coconut oil, then it is pressed into a tray, left to set and cut into squares or diamonds. The texture is chewy and jelly-like, often studded with cashew nuts and scented with cardamom.
It is one of the sweets families prepare for the Sinhala and Tamil New Year in April, whose rituals follow the auspicious times of the Avurudu nakath. It sits alongside kokis, kavum and aluwa on the New Year table, and it is also brought out for weddings and other family occasions. The southern town of Hambantota is well known for it, and roadside dodol shops there sell it by the slab.
How to make kalu dodol
- Makes about 1.2 kg (around 36 pieces)
- Prep: 20 minutes
- Cook: 2 hours (+ 6 hours setting)
- Difficulty: Challenging
Ingredients
- 600 g kithul jaggery (hakuru), finely grated or chopped
- 500 ml thin coconut milk (second pressing)
- 1 litre thick coconut milk (first pressing)
- 200 g white raw rice flour, sifted
- 100 g raw cashew nuts, roughly chopped
- Seeds of 6 green cardamom pods, finely ground
- 1/2 tsp salt
- A little coconut oil, for the tray
Method
- Prepare the tray. Lightly oil a tray or dish about 20 cm square and set it aside. Have the cashews, cardamom and a small bowl for skimming oil ready by the stove, as you will not be able to leave the pan later.
- Mix the batter. Whisk the rice flour into the thick coconut milk until completely smooth, then pour it through a fine sieve to remove any lumps.
- Melt the jaggery. In a large, heavy-bottomed pan or wide wok, heat the thin coconut milk with the jaggery over a low heat, stirring and breaking up any pieces, for about 10 minutes until the jaggery has fully dissolved. Strain it if there is any grit.
- Combine. Stir the batter again, as the flour settles, and pour it into the jaggery syrup. Add the salt and cardamom and raise the heat to medium.
- Stir continuously. Keep stirring with a long wooden spoon, scraping the bottom and sides, for the whole cooking time. After about 30 minutes the mixture bubbles and starts to thicken; lower the heat slightly if it spits.
- Cook down. Continue stirring over a medium-low heat for another hour or so. The mixture darkens, becomes a heavy paste and begins to gather in a mass in the middle of the pan, leaving the sides clean.
- Remove the oil. As the coconut oil separates and pools around the edges, tilt the pan and spoon it off into the bowl, folding the mass inwards as you go. Keep stirring and skimming for 15 to 20 minutes, until very little new oil appears.
- Add the cashews. Stir in the chopped cashews and cook for 5 minutes more. The dodol is ready when it is glossy, very stiff and comes away from the pan in one piece.
- Press and set. Turn the dodol into the oiled tray and press it flat with the back of an oiled spoon or a piece of banana leaf. Leave it uncovered at room temperature for about 6 hours, or overnight, until firm.
- Cut. Cut into squares or diamonds with an oiled knife and store in an airtight container.
Why does kalu dodol take so long to make?
All the water in the coconut milk has to be driven off, and the rice flour has to cook through, while the jaggery thickens around it. Because the mixture is heavy and sugary, it scorches quickly if it is left even for a minute, so it has to be stirred from start to finish. Commercial makers work in very large pans and often take turns at the stirring, which is why a two-person team is common. At home, a smaller batch like this one takes around 2 hours at the stove, and larger batches take considerably longer.
Why is the oil removed?
Long cooking makes the coconut milk split, and the oil it releases is the sign that the dodol is nearly done. If it is left in, the finished sweet is greasy and does not hold its shape well, so cooks skim it off as it appears. The oil is fragrant and can be kept for cooking.
Which jaggery should you use?
Kithul jaggery, made from the sap of the kithul palm, gives kalu dodol its dark colour and its smoky, caramel flavour; the darker the jaggery, the darker the dodol. It is sold in Sri Lankan grocers as hard, round cakes. If you cannot find it, palm jaggery or dark brown sugar will work, although the colour will be lighter and the flavour less rounded. Some cooks add a spoonful of kithul treacle for extra depth. The same palm sap is also boiled into treacle and jaggery by the traditional craft of kitul tapping.
What variations are there?
- Nuts and fruit: cashews are standard, and some cooks also add raisins.
- Sugar: larger or cheaper batches often replace part of the jaggery with sugar, which gives a lighter colour.
- Other dodols: dodol is found across South and Southeast Asia in many flavours. In Sri Lanka, kalu dodol is widely linked with the island's Malay community. A quicker, grainier Sri Lankan relative, made from steamed rice flour beads cooked in treacle syrup, is welithalapa (sau dodol).
How do you store kalu dodol?
Keep it in an airtight container at room temperature, wrapped in greaseproof paper or banana leaf, and eat it within about 5 days. It can be kept in the fridge for a week or two longer, but it firms up when chilled, so let it come back to room temperature before serving.
