Anushka Sharma, Aditi Rao Hydari enjoy rice gruel or kanji; know why you should too

Calling it a “humble meal”, Marina thanked the actors on her Instagram Stories. “Thankyou so much for loving this humble meal”.

Aditi Rao Hydari loves the humble kanji (Source: Aditi Rao Hydari/Instagram Stories)

According to Marina, the “humble meal” keeps her “soul content”. “Kanji, as we Malayalis call it, is our staple food. This gruel is what my family carried along with them to the farms — a simple kanji and chammandi (coconut chutney). It kept them nourished and content. It’s easy to digest and hearty enough to have as an early dinner. I normally use the hand ground rice that my mother sends me, specifically for kanji. The podi ari (broken red rice) is easier to digest,” she said in a post on Facebook.

Marina Balakrishnan thanked Aditi Rao Hydari (Source: That Thalassery Girl)

In my bowl: Podi ari kanji (broken rice kanji), Matanga thoran (pumpkin stir fry), Cherupayar upperi (green moong) — she wrote as she shared a picture.

Rightly called the comfort food of Kerala, the rice gruel is had with green gram or moong, thoran, and papad — as visible on Anushka’s plate.

Experts suggest that since it is easily digestible, it makes for a comforting meal when one is sick or has an upset stomach. Green gram helps aid weight loss while keeping one full. The recipe doesn’t contain oil.

This simple dish provides more health benefits than provided by its ingredients alone. So its an age old form of medicine for various health benefits, said registered dietitian Garima Goyal.

Boon for digestive health – Those individuals who are sick are advised to have kanji, as it is easy to digest and nourishes the gut. This is because it is prepared with much higher quantity of water as compared to the grain, and cooked till a mushy consistency is obtained, sometimes overnight. It does not allow any flare ups in the stomach, heals stomach pains, and diarrhoea.

Hydration quality – Use a ratio of 10:1 of water and rice grain for getting a smoother consistency, and a ratio of 7:1 for a thick, gruel-like consistency. Watery-thin congee, specially for infants, can also be made with 13 parts water and one part of rice grain. Kanji is basically 80-90 percent water. Long duration cooking makes the rice grains absorb a lot of water. So having it on sick days is very refreshing and hydrating.

Protein quality – Although rice may be low in protein content, but congee is usuallyy served with an accompaniment such as chicken stock or bone broth. They provide collagen, which is very helpful for cellular repair. Also, being easily digestible, proteins, vitamins and minerals of this animal protein source are easily absorbed.

Low in calories – Since it has more proportion of water than grain, this porridge provides fewer calories (30 kcal/ 100 g porridge) as compared to plain rice providing 100 kcal / 100 g cooked rice. More is the amount of water you add, lesser is the carbohydrate content it contains. Also, rice kanji is more filling than plain rice and reduces hunger pangs.

Weaning food – It is an excellent food for weaning babies as they can digest it easily and helps to keep the gut lining healthy. Moreover, its nutritious too. It lowers the frequency and volume of loose stools in the infants.

Treatment of cold and flu – Addition of chopped scallions (spring onions) and grated ginger to the well cooked congee is a good remedy for cold and flu symptoms.

Want to try it out? Here’s a sample recipe from Archana Doshi.

Ingredients

1 cup – Red matta rice
1 cup – Green moong dal (Whole)
1/2 cup – Fresh coconut, grated
2 no – Garlic cloves
1teaspoon – Cumin seeds
1 no – Green chilli, finely chopped
1tsp – Turmeric powder
2 sprig – Curry leaves
Salt, to taste
4 no – Papad

Method

*Add the green gram in pressure cooker with two cups of water and salt.

*Pressure cook for 4-5 whistles and turn off the heat.

*Once the pressure is released, cook off the excess water (if any).

*In a blender, add coconut, garlic, cumin seeds, green chilly, turmeric and blend. The mixture should be coarse.

*Add the coconut mixture and curry leaves to the cooked green gram and mix well.

*Roast the papad on low flame.

How to serve

Transfer the hot boiled rice to a serving bowl or a plate. Add some ghee to the rice kanji. Check the salt and adjust to suit your taste. Serve the kanji with papad on the side and enjoy!

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