Watalappan

Grate the kitul palm sugar and place it in a saucepan with water, cardamom, cloves and a cinnamon stick. Warm over low heat, stirring, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool until warm.

Lightly beat the eggs with a hand whisk for 3–5 minutes until smooth, without whipping them into a foam.

Pour the warm palm sugar mixture into the eggs, add the coconut milk, ground nutmeg, vanilla and salt, then stir gently to combine.

Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a heatproof dish to remove any bits of spice and cut down on foam.

Cover the dish with foil and steam for 50–60 minutes, until the center of the pudding barely wobbles but is no longer liquid. To bake instead, set the dish in a water bath and bake for 45 minutes at 180°C.

Remove the foil, sprinkle the top with chopped cashews and let the watalappan cool for 30 minutes.

Slice or spoon out the chilled pudding to serve.