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Nombu kanji
Ramadan rice porridge
நோன்புக் கஞ்சி (nombu kanji): Ramadan rice porridge cooked with coconut milk, warm spices and a little minced meat
As sunset nears during Ramadan, mosques in Colombo, Beruwala and Kattankudy ladle out great pots of nombu kanji to queues of families carrying jugs and tiffin tins, and the same porridge is cooked at home to break the fast gently after dates and water. Rice and a little moong dal are simmered with onion, ginger, garlic, fenugreek and whole spices until soft, then enriched with coconut milk and a small amount of minced mutton or chicken that flavours the whole pot. It should be loose enough to sip from a cup, mild, savoury and comforting, with fresh coriander and mint stirred in at the end; for a vegetable version leave out the meat and add diced carrot, leeks and a handful of green peas. The thing that spoils it is letting it thicken into a stiff paste, because it keeps setting as it cools. Chef's tip: thin it with hot water just before serving until it pours easily from the ladle.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp coconut or vegetable oil
- 5 cm piece cinnamon stick
- 3 cloves
- 1 /2 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 4 cloves garliccrushed
- 3 cm piece fresh gingergrated
- 2 green chilliesslit
- 1 /2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 carrotfinely diced
- 5 ½ oz raw short-grain ricerinsed
- 1 oz split moong dalrinsed
- 5 ¾ cups water
- 1 ¾ cups coconut milk
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp fresh corianderchopped
- 2 tbsp fresh mint (optional)chopped
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Heat 2 tbsp coconut or vegetable oil in a large pot over a medium heat and fry 5 cm piece cinnamon stick, 3 green cardamom pods, 3 cloves and 1 /2 tsp fenugreek seeds for 30 seconds.
1 minStep 2: Add 1 onion and cook for 5–6 minutes until soft, then stir in 4 cloves garlic, 3 cm piece fresh ginger and 2 green chillies for 1 minute.
6 minStep 3: Add 7 oz lean mutton or chicken mince with 1 /2 tsp ground turmeric and 1 tsp ground cumin and cook, breaking it up, for 5 minutes until it is no longer pink.
5 minStep 4: Add 1 carrot, 5 ½ oz raw short-grain rice, 1 oz split moong dal and 5 ¾ cups water and bring to the boil, stirring so nothing sticks.
2 minStep 5: Simmer, partly covered, over a low heat for 30–35 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until the rice and dal have broken down into a soft porridge and the mince has passed 160°F.
30 minStep 6: Stir in 1 ¾ cups coconut milk and 1 ½ tsp salt and simmer for 5 minutes, adding hot water if needed to keep it pourable.
5 minStep 7: Stir in 3 tbsp fresh coriander and 2 tbsp fresh mint and serve warm in cups or bowls.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does nombu kanji take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- 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 cinnamon stick?
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon per stick.
- What can I use instead of green cardamom pods?
- A pinch of ground cardamom per 2 pods.
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Perfect for:Ramadan