Ramadan is here again.. And again I delve into my recipe books to create new and different foods to feed my family at Iftar .. But alas, it's never the exotic or different recipes that they enjoy more.. Rather , they are the age old classics.. Like samosas, pathiri , kanji.. As they say, old is gold !!
So I go back to that erachi kanji, which never meets my hubby's standards( given that his standard is laced with the taste of school memories and camaraderie ;-) I tweaked the original recipe which I had posted earlier on, this erachi kanji then , is the newer upgraded version ! Though hubby dearest still says.." it just needs something more.. " !!!!aaaargh!!


ERACHI KANJI
Mutton (boneless ) 100 gms
Ginger garlic paste a tsp
Finely minced onion 1
Minced green chilli 2-3
Tomato finely chopped 1
Oil 2-3 tbsp
Garam masala ( use freshly powdered for better taste)(3 cardamom 3 cloves1 tsp perumjeerakam/fennel1 tsp peppercorns 1 small piece cinnamon )2-3 tsp
Chilli powder 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder a pinch
Salt 1/2 tsp

Sauté these together in a pressure cooker till onions are soft, then add 1 -1/2 cups water. Close and pressure cook for three- four whistles, turn heat low and keep on simmer for ten minutes more. Turn heat off. When cooled, open cooker, and add
100 gms basmati or kaima rice( I prefer kaima/ jeerakasala rice myself.. Tastes better)if needed, add 1-2 cups water( so that the rice can cook, otherwise, u will end up itch a burnt mess!)
Pressure cook again for 4-5 whistles, then turn off heat. Cool, then open, and add
2-3 cups of coconut milk,
Finely chopped coriander and mint leaves1-2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Boil a minute, then serve hot with a dash of ghee on top.

CHICKEN SOUP FOR A SCHOOLBOY'S SOUL

Hey there!
Just got back from Chennai. And boy, have I got a special recipe for you!But first things first..I must tell you how I got this special recipe..My husband ,N, studied in Crescent School, Chennai.His schooldays left him with such good memories, that we all had to suffer through endless stories of his school..how it was so beautiful, how they had a mango farm next door, how they would steal mangoes...the football matches, the swimming pool...and best of all..the food!!It seems every Thursday night they would have a sort of soup ( erachi kanji) with cutlets...and you should see him when he waxes lyrical over the merits of that erstwhile Kanji...I swear...I could see his eyes glazing over...
He has six sister-in-laws, remember? Everyone tried..to replicate this wonder dish for him...poor dears..
"mmmm..hmmm.." "so..so..." "the taste is still not right.." "there's some thing missing...""the kanji at crescent was too good..this doesn't come any where near that.."
These were just some of the dialogues they got to hear after he'd tasted their best efforts...
By the time we got married...and I had started hearing about this special dish..I decided I wouldn't even dare to try to make this ..Z, one of my co-sisters asked.."why, Resh, why wouldn't you try to make something that your husband is obviously crazy about?"" uh ,huh....I'm not going to compete with the taste of good memories..Most probably that kanji might have been a passable dish...he only thinks it's so great because he has associated his schooldays and all the good memories with that...whatever we make...it just won't be the same!!"

But after so many years, Z still was not ready to give up..Last month, she got a recipe from a Chennai local, and sent it to me, asking to try it..I had no hopes...but I didn't want to disappoint Z, who had gone to so much of trouble ..so I made it. And what do you know? "this kanji tastes almost like that one...there's just one tiny thing missing still..." I threw up my hands in despair...
Anyway, past is past...Last week, he was invited for an alumni get together at his school, and N jumped at the chance to rekindle old memories and forgotten friends.
When I met some of his old chums, I remarked teasingly about his kanji fetish...and it seems he is not alone in this!! Every single alumni gathered there remembered that kanji with such special fondness that some of them had even asked if it was on that day's dinner menu!!Wow!!this must be some kanji..huh!!
Anyway, turned out that I was unable to attend the dinner, so I missed tasting the dish( ya, they still make it at the school even 24 long years later!!amazing..no?)I told N to get the recipe from the chef, but his friend s, who heard this, went one better..He had got the recipe a few years ago, and his wife now knew how to make it, so he brought a sample to the hotel where I was staying..just so I could taste it for myself!!
And though I hate to admit it ...it truly was delicious..N was right when he said it was special..it is one of a kind..a very unique dish..
I'd like to dedicate this post to all crescent alumni..who are still schoolboys at heart...
A big thank you to S, and F, his wife, for sharing this recipe with me...




ERACHI KANJI

Ingredients:

Basmati rice 200 gms
Moong dal ( cherupayar parippu) 50 gm
Chopped vegetables
(carrot, cabbage, beans) 50 gm
Tomato chopped 50 gm
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder 1/4 tsp

-------------------------------------Put all these items in a pressure coker, add enough water to cover everything, and cook for 10 minutes. Cool------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Coconut grated 1
Water 2 glasses

------------------------------------Blend well and strain to get thick coconut milk.Keep aside---------------------------------------------------------------------

Chicken 100gm
Ginger garlic paste 1 tbsp
Water 1 cup

------------------------------Spread the paste on the chicken, and cook till well cooked. when cool, shred chicken into thin slices.----------------------------------

Curd 1 tbsp
Cardamom 6 or 7
Cinnamon 1' piece
ginger garlic paste 1 tsp
Ghee 2 tbsp



Method:

1. Take the cooled rice mix, and add to blender. Blend for a second, then stop. You just need to get the rice and veggies just a bit mashed, so you can get tiny pieces, but no big lumps..

2. Add coconut milk, shredded chicken, and curd and mix by hand. No blender this time.

3. Heat ghee, add cardamom, cinnamon, ginger garlic paste, and saute till light golden. Add to the kanji. Serve hot with cutlets or samosaas as accompaniment.

Tip:should be more like a soup..thin..not thick..

IT'S KARKITAKAM....

It's the last month of the malayalam calender, Karkitakam..and die hard fans of ayurveda and mallu culture and traditions are starting their ayurvedic medicinal broths,special oil massages,reading the Ramayana,etc.It is beleived to be the ideal time for purification and rejuvination of the body and mind.The monsoon is the time when the atmosphere remains dustfree and cool, opening up the pores of the body to the maximum, making it most receptive to herbal oils and therapy.
At my home, I make the simpler version of Karkkidaka Kanjiwhich was taught to me by my mother-in-law....we have regular oil baths...in short,we try to prepare our bodies to be healthy for the next malayalam year by undergoing a light detoxification program(being vegetarian,drinking lots of water,etc)and having this kanjifor a course of either one week or ten days..
First,you have to soak fenugreek overnight.
Then you have to take a little walk down the country lanes..where there are a multitude of herbs growing wild...keep a sharp lookout for the herb known as Kuroonthottee.(If you are in a city, I guess you might be able to get it from a herbal medicine shop.)
Hokaaayyyy!!for those of you who are interested in making this traditional broth at home...i have added the recipe below..


KARKITAKA KANJI.

What you see above on the left is the root of the kuroonthottee plant, washed and dried, and on the left , is Pathimukham, or chappangu.
Ingredients
Fenugreek(uluva)-1/2 cup
Par boiled rice(matta ari)-1 cup
Pathimukham?chappangu-1/4 cup
Kuroonthotti( roots only)-2 numbers
Coconut (grated)-1 large
Button Onions(chopped)-5 numbers
Salt-1-2 tsp(to taste)


Method:
Soak the fenugreek in water overnight.
In the morning,wash well,drain, and keep aside.
Take 4 cups water in a large cooker or heavy bottom vessel.
Add chappangu and the roots to this.Boil.
When the water is very red in colour, and it has boiled for at least 10
minutes,remove the roots and chappangu from the cooker and throw away.
Add fenugreek and washed rice.
Close cooker and cook till rice is well cooked(about10 minutes if you are using a pressure cooker,or about 1/2 hour,if you're cooking in a plain vessel)
Put grated coconut in a blender, add 1 cup water, and blend well.Strain this first coconut milk and keep aside.
Again put the same strained coconut into blender, add one more cup of water, and blend again.,strain the second milk.
When rice is almost cooked,add the second coconut milk to it.Boil well til rice is fully cooked,then add the first coconut milk.Don't allow this milk to boil , else, it will curdle.Mix, and remove from fire.
Fry the button onions in 1 tbsp ghee till golden brown and crispy ,and garnish the kanji with this.
Serve piping hot,accompanied either with pappadam, or pickle.