Kanji And Payar
- 70 min
- mild
- Serves 4
Kanji and payar, a Kerala meal of red rice kanji with whole green moong, coconut and a shallot tempering. Mild and vegetarian, serves 4, about 70 minutes.
You’ll need: Pressure Cooker
Good for: Rainy Day
Ingredients
Kerala Red Rice200 grams
Water, For Cooking2250 ml
Salt2½ tsp
- Whole Green Moong200 grams
Turmeric Powder1 grams
Coconut Oil1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds1 tsp
Small Onion (Shallots), Thinly Sliced9
Garlic12 grams
Curry leaves4 grams
Green Chilli, Slit10 grams
Coconut (Grated), Grated40 grams
Nutrition
Per 1 person, and for all 4 people. Worked out from the ingredients, so treat it as a close guide.
| Nutrient | Per 1 person | All 4 people |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 446kcal | 1784kcal |
| Protein | 17g | 69g |
| Carbohydrate | 78g | 310g |
| Fat | 9g | 36g |
| Fibre | 12g | 49g |
| Sugar | 5.9g | 24g |
Method
Get ready by rinsing the rice and whole green gram separately until the water is mostly clear. Peel and thinly slice the shallots, and peel and slice the garlic. Wash the green chillies and curry leaves, slit the chillies, and grate the coconut.
Add the rinsed rice, water and salt to a pressure cooker. Pressure cook on medium flame for 5 whistles, about 10 minutes, then switch off the flame. Let the pressure release naturally for about 10 minutes until the pin drops. Open the lid; the rice should be very soft and easy to mash. Transfer it to a vessel and wash the cooker if you will reuse it.
Add the rinsed whole green gram, water, turmeric powder and salt to another pressure cooker or the cleaned cooker. Pressure cook on medium flame for 4 whistles, about 10 minutes, then switch off the flame. Let the pressure release naturally for about 10 minutes until the pin drops; the green gram should be tender but still hold its shape.
Heat the coconut oil in a small kadai on medium flame for 2 minutes until hot. Add the mustard seeds and fry for about 30 seconds until they crackle. Add the shallots, garlic, curry leaves and green chillies, and fry for 4 to 5 minutes until the shallots are light golden and the raw smell goes.
Add the grated coconut to the cooked green gram and mix well. Cook on low flame for 3 minutes until the coconut is hot and the extra moisture reduces.
Mash the cooked rice lightly in its cooker or vessel with a ladle. Add the water for adjusting the consistency and boil on low flame for 5 minutes until the kanji is loose and smooth.
Pour the tempering over the cooked green gram and mix well. Serve the hot kanji in bowls with the green gram on the side or mixed in.
Before you start
- How long does Kanji And Payar take?
- 1 hour 10 minutes from start to finish. That is 15 minutes of preparation and 55 minutes of cooking.
- How many people does Kanji And Payar serve?
- 4. The ingredient quantities on this page rescale if you are cooking for a different number.
- Is Kanji And Payar vegetarian?
- Yes. No meat, no fish and no egg.
- Is Kanji And Payar spicy?
- It is mild: 1 on our scale of 3. Chilli scales gently when you change the servings, so doubling the recipe does not double the heat.
- What do I need to make Kanji And Payar?
- 200 grams Kerala Red Rice, 200 grams Whole Green Moong, 1 grams Turmeric Powder, 12 grams Garlic, 4 grams Curry leaves, 10 grams Green Chilli, and a few more listed on this page.
- Do I need a pressure cooker for Kanji And Payar?
- Yes, this one is cooked under pressure.
- How many calories are in Kanji And Payar?
- About 446 a serving. The full nutrition table is on this page, per serving and for the whole batch.
Tips from other cooks
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