Crisp, flower-shaped wafers made by dipping a hot decorative iron mould into a rice-flour and coconut-milk batter, then frying. A beloved festive crunch of the Sri Lankan New Year.
Kokis came to Sri Lanka through Dutch colonial baking, descended from the Northern European 'koekje' rosette cookie, and was wholly adopted into the island's New Year sweet tray. The intricate brass moulds, passed down through families, give the wafers their unmistakable snowflake and flower shapes.
Light as a wafer and audibly crisp, snapping into delicate shards. Faintly sweet and savoury, with a gentle coconut richness and the warm colour of turmeric.
Preheating the mould in oil makes the batter cling and then release as it sets into a crisp shell, the key trick of kokis. A thin, egg-stabilised batter and low coconut-milk fat fry into an airy, brittle wafer rather than a dense cake.
Variations
Plain kokis, sweet kokis, savoury spiced kokis, coloured festival kokis
On the Palate
Where Kokis sits in the Sri Lankan flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 8How it's made
8 steps · 20 min
- 13 min
Whisk rice flour with a beaten egg, turmeric and a pinch of salt.
- 23 min
Slowly add coconut milk to form a smooth, thin, lump-free batter.
- 34 min
Heat oil in a deep pan and warm the kokis mould directly in the oil.
Watch outHeat the mould right in the oil until it's screaming-hot — a cold mould won't grab the batter, and the wafer never forms.
- 42 min
Dip the hot mould into the batter, coating it only partway up the sides.
Watch outDip only partway up the sides, never over the rim — batter over the top locks the wafer on and it won't drop off.
- 51 min
Lower the batter-coated mould back into the hot oil.
- 62 min
Gently shake until the crisp wafer releases from the mould.
Watch outGive the mould a gentle shake in the oil — when it's set, the wafer slips off on its own; if it clings, it needs a few more seconds.
- 73 min
Fry until pale golden, then lift out and drain on paper.
Watch outFry only to pale gold and lift out — it keeps browning off the heat, so a deep color in the oil means it'll turn bitter and dark.
- 812 min
Cool completely so they crisp up, and store airtight.
