Kitchen Recipe Collection
Sri Lankan Cashew Aluwa
A traditional, diamond-shaped sweetmeat made from roasted rice flour, kithul treacle, and chopped cashew nuts, coated in powdered sugar.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Servings
- 20
- Difficulty
- medium
- Cuisine
- sri lankan
Ingredients
Scaled for 20 servings
- rice flour
- kithul treacle (or dark jaggery)
- sugar
- water
- cardamom
- roasted cashew nuts
Equipment
- Heavy-bottomed pan
- Flat board or tray
Instructions
- 1
Roast Flour
Dry roast the rice flour in a pan until fragrant and slightly browned. Sift it well. Set aside a handful for dusting.
- 2
Make Syrup
In a heavy pan, boil kithul treacle, sugar, and a little water until it forms a thick, sticky syrup (soft ball stage).
- 3
Mix
Take the pan off the heat. Quickly stir in the cardamom, chopped cashews, and the roasted rice flour, mixing vigorously until it forms a dough.
- 4
Flatten & Cut
Turn out onto a board dusted heavily with roasted rice flour. Flatten it quickly with a rolling pin and cut into diamond shapes while still warm.
Cooking Tips
- The syrup temperature is crucial. If it's too thin, the aluwa won't set. If it's overcooked, the aluwa will be too hard.
- Work very quickly once the flour is added to the syrup, as it sets rapidly.
Variations
- Milk Aluwa (Kiri Aluwa): Made with milk and sugar instead of treacle.
Chef's Notes & Storage
- An absolute essential on the Sri Lankan New Year (Avurudu) sweet table.
Nutrition Estimate
140 calories · 2g protein · 28g carbs · 3g fat · 1g fiber per serving
