This is a traditional healthy recipe from Northern Kerala & Tulunadu. It
is very nutritious and less spicy. It makes perfect food for toddlers, growing
kids and pregnant as it is rich in protein & carbohydrates. This can be packed
in kids’ lunch box. Totally it is a healthier option for any age group with a
blend of green gram, rice & coconut milk.
This ganji is also named as aati ganji in coastal Karnataka as it is a mandatory dish in the tulu month Aati or Aashada which is a month in monsoon season. This helps to keep the body warm and hence protecting us from the seasonal ailments such as cold/ flu.
Preparation time: 6 hrs
Cook time: 20 minutes
Serves: 2
Ingredients
Green gram – ½ cup
White Rice / Boiled rice (matta rice) – 1 cup, (This ganji can be made with any rice - white/ boiled)
Salt - to taste
Pepper powder - ¼ tsp
Coconut milk – 1 cup or grated coconut – 1½ cups
Bay leaf – a small piece (optional), Traditionally not used.
Cashews – 2 tsp (optional)
Ghee – 2 tsp
Method:
- Wash and soak green gram for minimum 6 hours or overnight.
- Heat a tsp of ghee in a pressure cooker.
- Add bay leaf and sauté until you get nice aroma.
- Wash rice, soaked green gram and add to the pressure cooker.
- Add 5 cups of water (little more if using kushilakki/ boiled rice), salt, pepper powder to this.
- Cook until 3-4 (6-7 if boiled rice) whistles.
- Meanwhile, extract thick coconut milk from grated coconut. Click here for my post on coconut milk extraction.
- Once rice is cooked and pressure settles down, add coconut milk to it and bring to boil.
- Heat remaining ghee in a tadka pan, add cashews and fry until golden color.
- Add it to the kichdi.
- Serve it with any pickles or plain tomato rasam or with chutney/ chutney powder.
Notes:
- You can also use ground coconut paste instead of coconut milk. This taste good too.
- This ganji tastes equally good with white/ boiled rice.
- If using kuchilakki or boiled rice, it will take longer to cook and more water will be required.
- Optionally cumin/ ajwain (carom seeds) powder can be used for the enhanced flavor.
there is one more recipe like this with fenugreek seeds instead of green gram. it is a postnatal food.
ReplyDeleteInteresting to know Shwetha! Will try once. Thank you
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