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Kola kanda
Herbal rice and coconut porridge
Kola kanda: Sri Lankan green herbal porridge of red rice, coconut milk and gotu kola
Kola kanda is a Sri Lankan breakfast porridge, sold in small cups at roadside stalls and morning markets in Colombo and drunk warm before work. Red rice is cooked soft with garlic, then blended greens, traditionally gotu kola, and coconut milk turn it a vivid green with a fresh, slightly grassy flavour. It is served with a piece of jaggery to nibble between sips. The mistake to avoid is boiling it after the greens go in, which turns the colour olive and the taste stewed. Chef's tip: crack the red rice in a spice grinder first; the broken grains cook in about 20 minutes and give the classic loose, creamy texture.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 3 ½ oz red ricerinsed
- 3 ¾ cups water
- 2 cloves garliccrushed
- 2 ⅛ oz gotu kola leavesor baby spinach, roughly chopped
- ¾ cup coconut milk
- ¾ tsp salt
To serve
- 1 ⅜ oz jaggery (optional)in small pieces
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What you'll need
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Pulse 3 ½ oz red rice in a spice grinder or small blender 4 or 5 times, until most grains are broken into 2 or 3 pieces.
1 minStep 2: Put the rice in a saucepan with 3 cups water and 2 cloves garlic and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring every few minutes so it doesn't catch, until the rice is completely soft and the pot looks like loose porridge.
22 minStep 3: Meanwhile blend 2 ⅛ oz gotu kola leaves with the rest of ¾ cup water until completely smooth.
Step 4: Take the pan off the heat. Stir in ¾ cup coconut milk, the green purée and ¾ tsp salt, then warm it over a low heat for 1 minute, just until steaming. Don't let it boil.
2 minStep 5: Ladle into cups or bowls and serve warm, with 1 ⅜ oz jaggery on the side.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 150 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 25 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kola kanda take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of red rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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