{Ramadan Special} – Jeerakanji by Rafeeda of ‘The Big Sweet Tooth’
2013 – Masala Aleesa
2014 – Kadala Pidi
Kanji/Ganji…is a thick soup mainly made during Iftaar time. Every south Indian state has got its own way of making this soup. In today’s post Rafeeda of ‘The Big Sweet Tooth‘ is going to share with us her place and house favorite kanji which is specially spiced with cumin…Over to Rafeeda’s post….
Assalamu alaikum warahmatullah… May peace and blessings of Allah be with you…
We enter into yet another Ramadan, Alhamdulillah… Every Ramadan starts with an anticipation of doing as much as ibaadah (worship) as possible but at the end of the month, you feel as though you have done nothing much or not as much as you expected yourself to do. Being a working woman, I go through this motions every single Ramadan. I promise myself that I would manage my time somehow in order to accommodate as much as I can do, but then the mad rush always makes me feel short of my targets. This year, it is the same promise to myself. This time, it is slightly different as it is our first Ramadan in our new residence, in which we shifted end October last year. Moreover, it is the first Ramadan without my parents around, and I guess it would be too clichéd if I tell that I do miss them. I was expecting them to come by, however thanks to the unrelenting summer this time, they decided to call off their visit, which did make me sad though I totally agree to their decision – it will not be easy. However, being a month of sacrifice, we are more than obliged to accept the conditions and take care of our ritual. The below Hadith (Prophetic sayings) should be motivation enough!
Abu Hurairah relates that the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, said: “Allah, the Lord of Honor and glory says: All other deeds of man are for himself, but his fasting is purely for Me and I shall reward him for it. The fast is a shield. When any of you is fasting he should abstain from loose talk and noisy exchanges. Should anyone revile him or seek to pick a quarrel with him, he should respond with: I am observing a fast. By Him in Whose hands is the life of Muhammad, the breath of one who is fasting is purer in the sight of Allah than the fragrance of musk. One who fasts experiences two joys: he is joyful when he breaks his fast, and he is joyful by virtue of his fast when he meets his Lord” (Bukhari and Muslim)
This is the third time that I am on Lubna’s space. First, it was the Masala Aleesa and last year, it was the Kadalapidi. I guess I have almost covered our normal set of Ramadan specials. Except one, and that is what I have come with me this time.
Jeerakanji or Cumin Rice Porridge is something that we make almost every night during the month of Ramadan. Cumin is a very good digestive, and a good source of energy. It is a filler and is normally something the men drink just before they go for the long Taraweeh (special Ramadan night) prayers or as the last meal before going to sleep. My kids really love it and they insist on making this every other day. As I was banging my head thinking what to give Lubna this year, Rasha, my elder daughter, came to me and said, “Ummi, it’s been long since we had the yellow kanji. Why don’t you make it?” She calls it so because it is yellow! J That is when I remembered that this recipe is not on the blog and decided to get rolling with it.
It is a very simple and straightforward recipe, but tastes amazing and is very filling. This is the first time I made it and Rasha certified that it tasted exactly like how umma makes it. It is really difficult to get the girls to give you a thumbs-up for the food that I cook, so this was totally a certificate I loved! Off to the way it is made:
Jeerakanji – Cumin Rice Porridge
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup raw rice (pachari – the rice used for idli/ dosas)
- 4 cups water
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
FOR GRINDING:
- 1 cup grated coconut
- 6-8 shallots
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 green chilli
PREPARATION:
- Wash the raw rice well. Combine with the water, turmeric powder and salt in a pressure cooker. Cook on medium flame for three whistles and switch off.
- Since this is rice, there are chances of it pushing out of the weight so keep the flame as low as possible.
- A good way to avoid mess is to surround the weight with a kitchen towel, around a cm away from the weight, so that the towel would absorb the mess and not push it to your walls! Allow the pressure to go by itself.
- Meanwhile, grind all the ingredients under “for grinding” into a coarse paste. Open the cooker and keep it on simmer.
- Add in the ground paste and cook for five minutes. Switch off and serve warm.
NOTES:
- As it sits, it tends to get thicker. Add little warm water to loosen it up.
- It is a very simple recipe and must-try. Hope all of you liked this post.
BarakAllah feek, Lubna… May Allah make everything you do easy! Wishing all of you a blessed Ramadan…
Thank you Rafeeda for sending across such a warm recipe and being part of this Global Ramadan Event – Joy From Fasting To Feasting – VIII. Hugs for helping me out in all the possible way to take this event forward…
You can find Rafeeda @ Blog|Facebook.
NOTE: You can find updated list of entries @ Joy From Fasting To Feasting – VIII.
Nusrath Jahan says
A very filling and easy recipe….
Veena Theagarajan says
Interesting recipe.. Nice guest post
Rafeeda AR says
JazakAllah Khair for the chance yet again… so happy to be on your space again and again and it is always my pleasure to help out dear… have a blessed Ramadan… 🙂
Sathya- MyKitchenodyssey says
Such a comforting easy meal.Lovely guest post rafee.