One of my favourite things about the holy month of Ramazan is the food! I have Muslim neighbours around me and the scents wafting during the breaking fast times are definitely mouthwatering! Having said that, my own household too makes some great treats and in particular my favourite is kanji. 

It is without any bias that I declare that my mother's version of kanji is by far the best kanji I have ever had. The broth provides the perfect balance of flavours. It's so good that limiting yourself to a single bowl of kanji is certainly not a possibility. 

The recipe here is hers of course. It is quite an effortless make and definitely delicious in the tummy. But I admit that although I followed her instructions to a T, I could not reach her level of kanji-perfection. You know what they say… nothing beats mom's cooking. 

Nevertheless, don't let that get in your way. If you love kanji like I do… this is your go-to recipe for sure! 

Ingredients 

1/2 cup of white rice 
2 1/2 cups of water 
¼ cup of coconut milk 
200g of chicken drumlets (4-6 drumlets) 
½ an onion 
½ a tomato 
¼ slice of lime 
4 cloves of garlic 
2 sprigs of curry leaves 
1 small piece of ginger 
1 ½ teaspoons of dil seeds 
½ a chicken cube (optional) 
Salt 
Pepper 

Directions 

Wash the chicken drumlets and place it in a bowl. Juice the lime over the chicken, add half a teaspoon of salt, a pinch of pepper to it and let it marinade. 

Place the rice in a large saucepan, and pour the water and the coconut milk in to it. 

Dump the onion, ginger, curry leaves, and garlic in to a food processor and blitz for a few minutes. 

Wrap the dil seeds in piece of soft cloth and set it aside. 

Add the blitzed ingredients, the chicken, and the dil seeds pouch in to the saucepan and place the saucepan on a low heat. 

Coarsely chop the tomato and chuck it in to the porridge. Then include the ½ chicken cube in to it and stir. 

Let the ingredients boil for an hour. (Stir occasionally) 

When the level of liquid becomes low (while it is boiling), pour 1 cup of water in to the saucepan and stir. 

(Repeat this action if necessary) 

Salt according to personal taste. 

Once all the ingredients merged and cooked well, and the porridge has formed, turn off the heat and let it simmer. 

Disasters, Warnings and Tips 

Kanji is one of the best things about the holy month. 

If you're refrigerating the leftovers - add a little water to the broth before reheating. 

The series Harlots is fantastic. You should definitely watch it. 

Admittedly the challenging part of this recipe is to gage when to pour in the extra cups of water. 

Do remember the rice grains have to be as soft as cotton, so boil it until it becomes so. 

This recipe is sufficient to feed two hungry people. 

When it is just me and my kanji… I go with my uber cool saucepan bowl. Don't judge! I love that bowl! 

Mother says not to include the dil seeds directly in to the porridge, as it might make the porridge bitter. 

If it wasn't for the fact that I cannot afford new clothes, I would eat this every day.