Sunday, September 30, 2012

Quinoa moar kanji

I usually pack the breakfast for my husband as he leaves early to work and he would send the driver to collect his lunch later. Few days that he would need the car at his disposal he would suggest that I pack his lunch too however light that may be, sometimes an extra helping of what was packed for breakfast goes into the box. Many of our dishes are quite filling and thus an extra quantity will suffice for the lunch too.
On such days I cook for myself some millet kanji and a bowl of vegetable or some salad. Recently having tried quinoa and liking it very much, my salads have become a complete meal with it. Yesterday there was an emergency at work and he had a call at 5 in the morning. I had just enough rawa dosai batter to make him two dosais before he left to inspect the accident in the port. I had to think of an option for my breakfast and was wondering if I might use the millet flour. Then I checked the pantry to find powdered quinoa and that I wanted to try.



For the Janmashtami having made the staple aval neivedhyam with the aval laddoo, I had made quinoa and badam payasam. I decided to try a salted version for the breakfast and made the kanji with buttermilk and quinoa. For extra flavour I used the fresh green chillis and aome caraway seeds. Tempering with mustard seeds and curry leaves made it perfect. I patted myself on the back and reserved some of the kanji for my husband to taste. He liked it too, but would have wanted less of the caraway flavour.
Kanji is a semi solid soup like dish which can be had either sweetened or with salt. It is almost the equivalent of porridge. Many grains can be used to make this. Most of the households make this as breakfast substitutes or when a heavy meal is not an option.


Ingredients:
2 tablespoons powdered quinoa
1/2 cup butter milk (beaten yoghurt)
2 fresh green chillis chopped
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/4 teaspoon ghee
1 sprig of curry leaves
Salt to taste

Method:
I used pre-washed quinoa. Hence I run it a few minutes in the small jar of my mixer and powdered it to a fine consistency.
To 2 tablespoons of thick yoghurt add 1/2 cup of water and whisk to a butter milk consistency.
Add water to the powdered quinoa and salt and mix to a lump free batter.
Heat the ghee in a pan; to this add the mustard and caraway seeds. When the mustard crackles, add the chillis and the curry leaves. Sauté for a few seconds and then add the quinoa batter to it.
Cook the quinoa on a low flame stirring constantly until it thickens. Add sufficient water to cook the quinoa.
Finally add the buttermilk and stir very well. Allow to thicken to desired consistency.
Remove from the heat. And transfer to serving bowls.


I drink it up in a tumbler, but also like to sip with a spoon and enjoy it.

Now you may wonder what is with the photographs that there is a full white theme. I am sending this post to New photography and styling challenge -All White Theme happening in  Junglefrog Cooking.


Both of us at home love quinoa in our dishes and I try to add it in many recipes. I am sure I will bring many more recipes with the grain.


16 comments:

  1. interesting quinova kanji, very filling healthy and presentation of the cup and kanji is very awesome and lovely.I haven't tasted quinova so far but after seeing this I would love to gobble up the entire cup shown in the picture.

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  2. Very innovative, Lata ji! I'm trying to introduce quinoa to my husband & am thinking of different salty options. This will come in very handy. Btw, I have a feeling that tempering with moar milagaai might also be very good :-). Going to try it soon.

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  3. Thanks so much for entering in the photo contest of this month. I love quinoa too but have never had it in powdered form. It's not a grain that is very familiair here and only recently you can actually buy it in the stores, but I really like your soup. Foreign flavors for me but sounds lovely.
    I also like your photo a lot. Love the color accent of the orange-red stripe, although I prefer the photo where the stripe goes at a diagonal in the image as it somehow seems more pleasing to the eye. And as little bit of feedback; when there are two bowls in the image, I like it when both bowls have the soup in them... ;) It just makes it look more real. But well done on the all white theme and thanks for entering!

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    1. Thank you very much. I have also very recently found quinoa and I was ver apprehensive to buy initially irrespective of the health benefits. Finding stuff like that in the country where I live is rare.
      And thank you so much on the feedback of the photograph. I wanted to join in as it is a learning process. Also I had not cooked sufficient quantity initially and was already running out on the time. I hope I will do better next time and I sincerely appreciate your feedback. will try to join in such exercise more so i get such feedback.
      Thank you.

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  4. I love quinoa..Super presentation
    Great-secret-of-life.blogspot.com

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  5. I would love something like this for breakfast..healthy and filling..

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  6. Never tasted or seen quiona. must try sometime. nice recipe :)

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  7. Excellent kanji to start a day, i wont bother to start mine with this super filling and definitely satisfying kanji.

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  8. VEry healthy and nice one, esp for people who are very weight consicious

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  9. Superb...never tasted quinoa kanji..i tried upma thats it..

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  10. I make something very similar with oats - haven't tried with quinoa though... yummy!

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  11. Mor kanji looks perfect that too with qunioa awesome.

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  12. Quinoa kanji looks delicious...Loved the way you worked with the white theme...Looks lovely..

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  13. Looks lovely and love the twist with quinoa

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  14. This is like a runny mor kazhi/kali. I have got to try this. Also,like your husband, with less or even no caraway. :-)

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  15. Lata ji,
    I tried this soup and liked it very much. Thank you for such a healthy and tasty recipe.

    -Hyma

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Hello,
Welcome and thank you for taking time to drop by.
I appreciate your valuable comments and tips.
I sincerely hope to improve with them.
Hope we shall interact often.
Thanks once again,
Lata Raja.