Vishu Kanji or Traditional rice porridge recipe for Vishu
Vishu Kanji or Traditional rice porridge recipe for Vishu
Vishu is a traditional festival celebrated in Kerala and Vishu Kanji is an inevitable rice porridge dish from Vishu menu popular among the people of Kerala. Compared to other rice recipes, it has a slightly thick consistency with a sweet and salty flavour. Vishu Kanji is normally accompanied by few other dishes like ‘Cherupayar puzhukku’ (Green gram recipe) or ‘Chakka Puzhukku’ (Raw Jackfruit recipe). Parboiled rice, raw rice, coconut milk and grated coconut are the important ingredients used for its preparation. When it comes to serving, this hot steaming rice is usually served in a bowl-shaped banana stem or Vazha Pola laced with banana leaf. And the spoon is made of the leaf of jack tree. As we move across Kerala, we would come across slight variations to the list of ingredients and thus a difference in flavour and texture. If Palakkad’s ‘Vishu kanji’ is salty, for Vaikom natives, their Vishu Kanji is slightly sweetened with jaggery. They make use of grated jaggery and red cow peas (‘vanpayar’) along with rice and grated coconut. The use of jaggery imparts a sweet flavour and light brown texture. Have a look at the detailed list of ingredients used and the method of preparation of this traditional Vishu kanji or Rice porridge recipe.
Ingredients
- ½ cup of Parboiled Rice / Partly cooked rice by boiling (Unakkalari rice is preferred)
- ½ cup of Raw rice / Long Grain Rice
- ¼ cup of Mung dal / Green gram / Cheru Payer parippu
- ¼ cup of Butter beans / Puliavarakkai / Amarapayaru
- 2 cups of Coconut Milk
- 1 cup of freshly Grated Coconut
- Salt for the taste
Preparation
- Take a frying pan and dry roast the Butter beans / Puliavarakkai / Amarapayaru and Moong dal/ Cheru Payar parippu separately for a minimum of 5 minutes.
- Once it is dry roasted, take it off from the pan and set it aside.
- Wash the raw rice and parboiled rice separately until the water runs clear.
- Cook them separately with 3 cups of water for each of this rice. When it is cooked and soft, mix it together and keep it aside.
- Now, cook the roasted Butter beans / Puliavarakkai / Amarapayaru and Moong with 2-3 cups of water.
- Once it is cooked, transfer it to the rice along with coconut milk and some salt for the taste.
- Cook it for a couple of minutes and add the grated coconut. Gently stir the mixture before serving.
- Serve it hot with Chakka puzhukku or Aviyal and Pappadam.
