Bibikkan බිබික්කන් is a Sri Lankan cake made with coconut and dates, also known as “pol wandu” – Pol Wandu “Bibikkan”.
➡Dark and moist, made with grated coconut, jaggery, an unrefined syrup derived from the sap of the kithul palm (a type of dark treacle) and semolina, combined with a mixture of spices.
➡Bibikkan is commonly prepared and consumed to celebrate festive and religious occasions, including Christmas and Sinhala and Tamil New Year, and is part of the “Christmas Around the World” recipes.
➡It is said to have been introduced to Sri Lanka by the Portuguese, who colonized the coastal areas of the island in 1505 and remained there until 1658.
➡The Catholics of Goa (India) have a similar dish called Bebinca, akin to a traditional Filipino rice flour cake made with coconut milk, served on Christmas Day:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Oven, Stove
- Cuisine: Indian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 14 oz kithul treacle (or molasses or caramel)
- 2 oz jaggery
- 12 oz grated coconut
- 5.5 oz rice flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 lime (only zest)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- to taste nutmeg
- 3 cardamom
- 9 oz dates
- 2 oz raisins
- 3 oz cashews
- 2 oz ground ginger
- 2 oz rava (semolina)
- 2 eggs
- to taste salt
Steps
Melt the jaggery in the treacle over medium heat, then add the coconut and a pinch of salt.
Cook for 10 minutes.
Let it cool.
Mix the flour with the baking powder.
Combine the vanilla extract, lime zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, crushed cardamom, dates, soaked and drained raisins, cashews, ginger, and semolina with the treacle mixture.
Add the flour.
Mix.
Add the beaten eggs.
Spread in a 8-inch square pan, bake in an oven at 350°F for 45 minutes.
Serve cut into squares.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
What is kithul treacle and how can it be substituted?
Kithul treacle is obtained from the inflorescence of the kithul palm (Caryota urens), common in Sri Lanka.
The pure sap is boiled down to a sweet brown syrup, dense in consistency and similar in taste to dates, with a hint of caramel flavor.
Kithul treacle is traditionally served with Sri Lankan buffalo curd, a type of yogurt.
It can be substituted with molasses or caramel.
What is jaggery?
Another product of the boiling of kithul sap is an unrefined sugar known as jaggery.
