Ask me about Aasmi

Sri Lanka is a country with so many sweets and snacks. As a person who loves both sweets and  snacks, here I have chosen my favourite sweet, “Aasmi,” for Reader’s Digest. Even since we are now slowly moving towards Sinhala and Tamil New Year, for me it means the Aasmi season is coming, just like Kokis and Kevum season for others.

Aasmi is a traditional dish that can increase the taste of special occasions like the New Year’s food table, weddings, and birthdays, as well as regular moments like tea time or desert time .  It is sweet and crunchy, and it also smells really good. It can be made according to personal preferences by using a preferred amount of sugar and food coloring. Rice flour, coconut milk, cinnamon leaves, sugar, and salt are the main ingredients that are used to make this beautiful sweet. There are a few varieties of Aasmi but it depends on how we make it. Some people use kithul honey instead of sugar syrup, and some may use coconut honey instead of sugar syrup. If we take a look at the core ingredients, some people use Okra “ladies fingers” juice instead of cinnamon leaf juice.

There are some who don’t use any sugar related ingredients as well, but the Aasmi still smells and tastes good because of the cinnamon. To make this tasty dish, first we have to mix some rice flour with coconut milk and the juice extracted from cinnamon leaves or Okra “ladies finger” juice. Then we can fry it for the first time before keeping it aside for a three-day rest. Then it must be fried once more before being topped with sugar syrup. We can also add food colouring to make it look better, but I would prefer Aasmi without any artificial food colouring.

So, if you haven’t tried Aasmi yet, now is your chance to taste it and feel some change. From now on, instead of the same Kevum and Kokis as in previous years, ask about Aasmi. Ask me about Aasmi if you want to know more about it.

Rtr. Yohan Soyza