The  herbal and ayurvedic goodness of Mee tree flowers, enveloped in natural kanda (Macaranga peltata) leaves and steamed (finger millet steamed cake). Perfect with a hot cup of plain tea and a wedge of jaggery (palm sap cane sugar).

MEE TREE

Mee (Madhuca longifolia) is a fast-growing tree that grows to approximately 20 meters in height and possesses evergreen or semi-evergreen foliage. Oil is extracted from its seeds and its sweet flowers are fermented in India to produce the alcoholic drink mahua, a country liquor. In Sri Lanka, the flowers are used for culinary purposes and also as an herbal drink or ayurvedic preparation. If stored carefully, dried flowers can even last for more than a year.

INGREDIENTS

• 30 Grams Mee Mal Flowers (twice pounded to remove stamens and sun dried)
• 100 Grams Millet (kurakkan) Flour
• 100 Grams Rice Flour
• ½ a Grated Coconut
• 200 Grams of Sugar
• Water and Salt

METHOD

• Soak the Mee Mal in water for about an hour and then wash well to get rid of any sand (there must be no stamens as then it is bitter)
• Then using a blender, the flower can be blended into a paste

SWEET COCONUT

Now you can make the pani pol or sweet coconut:

• Heat a small pan on the fire
• Add three teaspoons of sugar
• Stir until it caramelizes and is brown colour
• Add some water and keep a little bit longer
• Then add 175 grams of sugar
• Add salt
• Add the grated coconut
• Stir and Mix well but keep the  moisture and do not let it get too dry
• A few minutes later you can add the blended Mee Mal paste to the mixture
• Stir well and leave to cool

LEAF FOOD

• After it is cooled you can add 100 grams of rice flour and 100 grams of millet flour to the pol pani mixture and then by hand, kneed it well
• When you have some small balls you can place some oil onto a kanda leaf and slowly shape the content of the ball within the leaf and fold over
• When you have around five such filled leaves you can place them in a steamer for around 30 minutes. In rural villages they would use a clay pot with an improvised platform to hold the parcels and then steam them for upto an hour or more.
• It is now ready! The halapa can last for upto five days and in villages they mention that the older the halapa, the tastier it is!