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Kola kenda
කොළ කැඳ (kola kenda): green herbal porridge of red rice, coconut milk and gotu kola juice, drunk at breakfast with jaggery
Early in the morning, outside bus stands in Kandy and along the walking paths of Colombo's parks, vendors ladle bright green kola kenda from big pots into cups, handing each customer a lump of jaggery to bite between sips. It is a thin, savoury porridge of red rice cooked until it breaks down, enriched with coconut milk and coloured with the juice of fresh leaves, most often gotu kola, though cooks also use hathawariya, mukunuwenna or even curry leaves. The taste is grassy, slightly bitter and very restoring, and older Sri Lankans drink it as a daily tonic. The leaf juice must never boil; adding it to a bubbling pot is the mistake that turns the porridge khaki and dulls the fresh flavour. Chef's tip: blend the leaves with cold water and strain them through a fine sieve, so the kenda stays silky with no stringy bits.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the porridge
- 3 ½ oz red rice (raw)washed
- 5 cups water
- 2 cloves garliclightly crushed
- 3 /4 tsp salt
- ¾ cup coconut milk
For the green juice
- 2 ⅛ oz gotu kola (pennywort) leaveswashed, with soft stems; or a mix of gotu kola and spinach
- ¾ cup cold water
To serve
- 2 ⅛ oz kithul or palm jaggery (optional)broken into pieces
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put 3 ½ oz red rice (raw), 5 cups water and 2 cloves garlic in a large saucepan, bring to the boil, then simmer partly covered for 22–25 minutes, stirring now and then, until the grains are very soft and starting to break up.
25 minStep 2: Meanwhile blend 2 ⅛ oz gotu kola (pennywort) leaves with ¾ cup cold water until completely smooth, then strain through a fine sieve, pressing on the pulp.
Step 3: Stir 3 /4 tsp salt and ¾ cup coconut milk into the rice and simmer gently for 2–3 minutes until creamy; add a splash of hot water if it is thicker than pouring cream.
3 minStep 4: Take the pan off the heat and stir in the green juice until the porridge is evenly green.
Step 5: Serve warm straight away in cups, with 2 ⅛ oz kithul or palm jaggery on the side.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 180 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 25 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kola kenda take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 30 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 (raw)?
- 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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