Regional delicacies series - Pearl millet porridge - Kerala recipe

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup Pearl millet (Bajra / Kambu)

5 cups Water (1 cup = 250 ml)

  • 2.5 tsp Salt (adjust to your taste)
  • 2 Green Chili
  • 1/2 cup Sour Curd
  • 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
  • 1/2 inch Ginger

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Take the pearl millet in a mixer and grind it to a little coarse powder. Measure the kambu flour. Take 5 measures of water in a sauce pan and add the kambu flour and mix well
  • Keep the flame in medium and stir continuously. Within 5 minutes, the koozh starts getting thicker. Stir continuously to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pan. When the koozh is thick, switch off the flame. Allow the koozh to come to room temperature. We can see the koozh gets further thickened. 
  • Now add cold water to the koozh and make it to a drinking consistency. It should be diluted nicely. Cover the koozh vessel with a lid and keep it aside overnight for fermentation. Generally in hot weather, the koozh gets nicely fermented. If you stay abroad and during winter, fermentation process takes more time, so we can also add 1 fist full of mashed cooked rice to the koozh which helps the fermentation process to be quicker. But adding cooked rice is optional.
  • The next day morning, the koozh would have nicely fermented. Now take the curd in a mixer along with green chilli, ginger and cumin seeds
  • Grind the curd to a nice paste. Add salt to the koozh and mix well. Then add the ground curd to the koozh and give it a nice stir.
  • Now healthy and tasty kambu koozh is ready. Serve with chopped onions / shallots, green chillies, Mor Milagai and enjoy the drink!

NOTES

Fermentation process is optional.. This was the conventional method used by the farmers and villagers as they cant afford for milk / curd. We can prepare the koozh and use it immediately also. We can mix sour buttermilk instead of more water so that the sourness in the koozh is maintained,
Also during fasting days, we can avoid this fermentation and also curd/buttermilk will also be not used and those days, we can add milk to the koozh and have it or we can add lemon juice to the prepared koozh and we could have it. In any ways, this koozh is very very healthy and stuffy.



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