කොණ්ඩ කැවුම්: Konda Kewum (Sri Lankan Oil Cake) Recipe For New Year

Yield – 14 Kewum 

Prep time – 5 mins                     Cooking time – 60 mins

After Kiribath (milk rice), Konda Kewum is like a symbol of the Sri Lankan new year. It’s one of the delicacies that every Sri Lankan is craving for Awurudu (new year). As Sri Lankans, we are so fond of this sweet and there’s a saying after the colonization, “ සිංහලයා මෝඩයා, කැවුම් කන්න යෝධයා” where it says that Sri Lankans are stupid, but when it comes to eating Kewum they are like giants. Somehow it shows our heritage and our love for this sweet. 

Konda Kewum is different from other Kewum by having this special shape due to the presence of “Kondaya”. If you translate Kondaya in English, it says hair which actually represents how most Sri Lankan women tie up their long black hairs in a bun, which is quite interesting and a unique way to represent Sri Lankan women. Whenever I eat Konda Kewum, I was wondering who invented this amazing food and the way of making it. Was it by mistake or was there a story behind it? The history of Kewum is way back to ancient times where you can find references in books like the Ummagga Jatakaya, Saddharma Ratnawaliya, and Pujawaliya.

Konda Kewum is one of the hardest Sri Lankan sweets to make because of the unique technique of making Kondaya. But, if you understand the technique and practice it a few times, it’s like a piece of cake. In our culture, people envy women who can make perfect Konda Kewum and are considered as master chefs. Nowadays, you can find molds to make this amazing food and I think, it’s used for making the bulk of Kewums to reduce the high labor force. 

This recipe of Konda Kewum is plant-based and another dish to add to your Sri Lankan vegan food list. I would really encourage you to make this super delicious sweet and share your thoughts with me. Don’t worry if you fail to make Kondaya in your first few attempts as nobody has done it their first time.

What do you need: 

• 1 cup raw, white rice flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds 
• 1/2 cup kithul treacle
• 1 1/4 cup coconut oil 
• 1 skewer 
• A lightweight spoon (coconut or metal) 
• A small teacup with a handle

Let’s make it: 

1. Add rice flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, salt, cumin seeds, and fennel seeds into a bowl. 
2. Give it a good mix until everything combines together. 
3. Add treacle into the dry mix and combine together. 
4. Add regular water little by little to make a thick batter (I have used 1 cup of water) and make sure to mix well. 
5. Add coconut oil to a small Cheenachatti or a frying pan and heat on low to medium for about 1- 2 minutes.  
6. When the oil is ready, gently add about 1/4 cup of the batter into the oil and make sure to slowly reduce the amount of batter pouring. 
7. When you see there’s a mouth opening on top of the poured batter, slowly splash some oil on that. 
8. Insert the skewer halfway through the opening and rotate 3 – 4 rounds. You will see some of the raw batter coming out of the opening. 
9. At this point, again slowly splash some oil on that. 
10. Repeat this process 3 – 4 times until the opening is closed and a knot is forming on top. This is called the “Kondaya” of the Kewum.  
11. If needed, carefully shape the Kondaya using the skewer and the spoon.  
12. Slowly flip the surface and cook it while changing sides until it’s reddish brown and crispy. 
13. It will take about 3 – 4 minutes on low to medium heat to cook one Kewum. 
14. Remove the Kewum from the hot oil and cool it for about 20 – 30 minutes before serving or store it in an air-tight container. 

Tips for you: 

• When making the batter, it’s preferable to use your hand in order to mix it thoroughly. 
• Consistency of the batter should be in between pancake and cake batters. 
• To check the readiness of the oil, add a couple of drops of the batter and wait until they float to the surface of the oil. 
• Make sure to remove them before pouring the batter for making Kewum. Otherwise, they will stick to the kewum and spoil its shape of it. 
• For adding the batter to the oil, use a small teacup with a handle. This will give you a good grip and even out the pouring of batter. 

Make ahead info: 

• Store the Kewum in an air-tight container for up to 5 days at room temperature. I bet this will not last that long. 

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