Ramzan recipe | Break your fast with this comforting nonbu kanji

Recipe to make nonbu kanji for Ramzan with mutton keema, coconut milk and pandan leaves

Ramzan Nonbu Kanji

Nonbu kanji is the mushy porridge that is prepared fresh every day during the month of Ramzan in Muslim households and mosques across southern India. Kanji can be a meal in itself, which is why Zulfia Syed advises home cooks to be sparing with the measurements when making it at home. “A small family of four needs only a few heaped tablespoons of rice and lentils to make a generous serving,” she says.

Ingredients

Mutton keema- 100 gm

Coconut milk - 250 ml

Basmati rice - 3/4 cup ( 1 cup = 250 ml)

Moong dal - 1/4 cup

Dal & rice washed and soaked for 15 mins

Oil - 3 tbsp

Ghee - 3 tbsp

Cinnamon - 1 small piece

Cloves - 4

Cardamom - 3

Pandan leaves - 1 finger size

Bay leaves - 1

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp

Onion & tomato - each 1(diced)

Green chillies - 3 (slit)

Coriander & mint - handful (chopped)

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Pepper - 1 tsp

Ingredients for Nonbu Kanji. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Preparation

1.Add oil & ghee to a pressure cooker

2.Add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, bay leaf, pandan leaf, cumin, fenugreek to the oil. saute in high flame for 1 min

3.Add onion to it and saute for 2 mins followed by mutton keema

4.Once the onion is transparent you can add tomatoes, chillies, coriander & mint

5.Add ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes

6.Add basmati rice & moong dal to it, saute for another 3 mins

7.Add 750 ml of water, add salt, close the lid and cook for 4 whistles

8.Once the pressure is released you can add coconut milk to it and cook for another three mins. If needed, adjust the consistency by adding water.

9.Adding a tea spoon of pepper enhances & balances the flavor

9.Recipe by Zulfia Syed, a homecook based in Tirunelveli & UAE