Jeeraka Kanji

    Comfort food, anyone?  Jeeraka kanji aka cumin flavored rice porridge is a totally awesome comfort food. This is a Ramadan special dish. I am not a big fan of our usual kanji, but this special dish is just fantastic. You can pair this along with cherupayar ularthu, pickles, any mezhukkupuratti, mulaku vattal or pappad. But honestly, you don’t actually need a side dish for this as it tastes great on its own. It’s simple and delicious! Please do give this a try..

Ingredients (Serves 3)

1. Broken rice / Podiyari – 1/2 cup (You can use basmati rice/kaima/ jeerakashala rice instead)

    Fenugreek seeds / uluva – 1/4 tsp

    Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp

    Water – As required

2. Grated coconut – 3/4  cup

    Cumin seeds / jeerakam – 1/2 tsp

    Pearl onion – 1 – 2

3. Salt – To taste

4. Ghee / coconut oil (ghee preferred) – 2  tsp

5. Pearl onion – 3, thinly sliced

Method

1. Wash the broken rice well and place in  a heavy-bottomed pan. Add 3 – 4 cups of water, 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds and 1/4 tsp turmeric powder. Cook covered for 20 – 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and done. (Add more water, if required).

2. Meanwhile grind coconut, cumin seeds and a pearl onion to a very fine paste. Add this mixture to the cooked rice along with salt. Cook for  3 – 4 minutes. Taste check for salt. Switch off.

3. Heat ghee in a small pan. Add sliced pearl onions and fry until brown. Pour over the kanji. Cover with a lid for 5mts. Mix well and serve hot.