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[title]You see it often and you see it everywhere. Bread Fruit or Del isn’t something novel to the eyes or palates of Sri Lankans. Del trees grow wildly and almost everywhere around the island; it is like a single meal by it self, a side dish or an addictive snack to munch on.
Del badala, Rata del petti or fried breadfruit is easy to make and hard to resist. You may hear young one’s calling it ‘Achchi’s (grandmother’s) special’ because the ladies in the kitchen know their business when it comes to taste. Now it is a hand-me-down; the best kind there is.
Del badala begins with the washing and cutting of the fruit’s skin, which is the prepping stage. And moves on to the slicing and dicing stage. The julienne slicing of the other types of chopping is sleek and quick. Once done, for the spice craver, chili powder and a dash of salt is thoroughly mixed to it before deep-frying for a few minutes.The sugarcoated breadfruit goes plain into the frying pan without any spices. Once it is golden brown the fried breadfruit is taken out and sits until the sugar and water mix boils and caramelises. That is when the rested breadfruit goes into the sugar mix. The sugar hardens as it dries, making it a soft on the inside, crispy and sugary on the outside.
It is perfect to munch on through a movie marathon or an afternoon read. When playtime gets too tiring, this will be your tasty companion. For an experiment in the kitchen try surprising the whole family with this simple snack. You could even dice it and sprinkle on ice cream to get a crunch in there.