Classic Blackgram Porridge Recipe:
Yields: 2 Ltrs of ulundhu kanji & 3/4 Ltrs of karupatti ulundhu kanji
Ulundhu Kanji ingredients:
| Black gram (vellai ulundhu) | 1/2 cup |
| Boiled rice (puzhungal arisi) | 1/4 cup |
| Fenugreek seeds (or cumin seeds)* | 1 tbsp |
| Garlic | 2 bulbs |
| Dried ginger | 1/2 “ |
| Boiled cow’s milk (kaaichiya pasum paal) | as needed |
| Water for pressure cooking | 3 cups |
*We use fenugreek seeds (vendhayam) during summer & cumin seeds (jeeragam) during winter.
Karupatti ulundhu kanji Ingredients:
| Split black gram (karuppu ulundhu) | 1/4 cup |
| Boiled rice (puzhungal arisi) | 1/8 cup |
| Garlic | 5 pods |
| Dried ginger | 1/4 “ |
| Cardamom | 1 |
| Palm jaggery | 1/2 cup (powdered) |
| Fresh coconut milk | as needed |
| Water for pressure cooking | 1 and 1/2 cups |
Mise en place:
For ulundhu kanji:
- Wash lentils, rice & fenugreek seeds and keep aside in a bowl.
- Add garlic, dried ginger and water into the bowl as shown below.
For karupatti kanji:
- Dry roast lentils in medium flame until the aroma is released.
- Transfer to a separate bowl and wash roasted lentils along with rice.
- Add garlic, dried ginger and water into the bowl as shown below.
Pressure cooking:
- Heat a pressure cooker in high flame.
- Stack both the bowls one above another inside the pressure cooker as shown below and close with its lid.
- When it reaches high pressure, simmer for 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat and keep aside until the pressure is released.
Kanji preparation:
For ulundhu kanji:
- Pour hot milk into the cooked lentil mixture.
- Mash well using electric hand blender.
- Serve hot with jaggery or karivepillai thuvaiyal.
For karupatti kanji:
- Prepare jaggery syrup as shown below.
- Pour hot syrup into the cooked lentil mixture.
- Mash well using electric hand blender.
- Bring it to boil in medium flame.
- Reduce the flame to low.
- Add cardamom powder and pour coconut milk.
- Stir well and remove from heat.
- Serve warm.
Cooking Tips:
- I find electric hand blender very useful to blend the kanji (porridge) and achieve the desired consistency.
- Salted porridge goes well with Kariveppilai thuvaiyal (curry leaves chutney), but we can replace curry leaves with coriander leaves, mint leaves or any other fresh herbs.
Wonderful to know about this traditional dish. Nice to read about it!
Thank you.
Great post megala! These rich traditions have so much thought and knowledge behind them and are so good for us.
Yes, indeed! Thank you so much.
Mmmm coconut milk in this one would certainly make it tasty!
Yes, thanks! ?
Really good for health…… Remembered my granny
Thank you so much. 🙂
Such a good dish, you are talented!
Thank you!
Old school living was so much better! ? My Nani had all these rituals and ways, we miss her wisdom and guidance. I learned but sadly not enough.
Yes, I think this is the case for each one of us, we could not learn enough from them.
Thanks for stopping by.
Awesome post Megala
Thanks!
I learn so much from your post about your culture. Love it! My grandma used to make me drink sardine oil in the morning. I didn’t like it. But I would have taken an oil bath everyday with pleasure. Lol.
Yes, I guess it is really horrible to gobble up sardine oil, nowadays kids are making fuss to swallow this oil available in capsules. 🙂
Thank you so much for your time.
It seems like you are so busy at home! What a story … You are a poet!
Thanks much! 🙂
You are blessed with talented grand parents also you deserve them as you are always passing it to the society. This post gives great feel, our ancestors truly had poetic life. Love this post ?
Thank you so much, dear Subbashini!
Welcome ?
Wow! Traditions are the best, definitely having strong scientific reasons!
Thanks Pooja!
What a beautiful tradition! I am touched that you keep the tradition and take your time doing it. People live in a “fast” life nowadays, and forget how to enjoy a “regular” life. ^^
Yes, well said! 🙂 Thank you so much for reading this post.
After reading the health benefits, I have to try these recipes! You have explained the tradition of the weekly oil bath so well. Today’s youngsters have little time for these leisurely rituals.
So true! I hope this post may motivate someone to try this natural healing process.
Thank you.
Very interesting ☝️…
Thanks! 🙂
Old traditions were all scientific and had amazing healthy benefits. Felt so good to read this post.
Yes, thanks! 🙂
I love when you share insights like this. It’s really interesting! I use to experiment with oats and all sorts for exfoliation.
Oh, thats a good idea! Thank you so much for reading this post.
Healthy & delicious recipe.
Yes, thank you!
What a fascinating story! I just love reading your blog!
Thank you!
Love the way you present your post! Wonderful stories, traditions and recipes! Love them all!??
Thank you!
This is interesting and healthy, thanks for sharing.
Most welcome!
Good afternoon, i never heard of this recipe, but looks not difficult to make?
Yes. thank you so much for taking your time to read this post. I’m sorry for the late reply, I missed to notice this.
Enjoyed reading your post, Megala.. Loved that kooja…
Thank you! Glad you like this white brassware.
Very healthy and I so agree with your words, Megala the olden times our grandparents took care of us was so good. Healing and the oil bath sounds so good. Your preparations are awesome. Thanks for the beautiful share.
Thank you so much!
Welcome Megala.
I did not like the look of that dark porridge until I realised it had jaggery in it! I love how your posts combine food and heritage, tradition and personal stories. Lovely.
Yes, for the same reason kids here don’t like to take this. 🙂
Thanks Tracey for your constant support.
Despite having stayed in India, never got to the chance to taste this one. Amazing post. Shall be trying it soon ?? keep Glittering, love TGA by Misha ????
Thank you so much Misha! 🙂
This is very interesting. So healthy and healing ?
Yes, it really heals! Thank you!
Your oil bath tradition sounds so lovely and healing.
Yes, surely it is. Thanks much.
Love reading about these almost forgotten traditions from our childhood.
Yes, this indeed evokes beautiful memories with people esp. my father associated with this tradition. Thank you.
Love the post Megala!!! What a lovely tradition 🙂
Thank you! 🙂
You are welcome 🙂
Very interesting, Megala, I have enjoyed learning about your customs and traditions. This must have been a thoroughly healthy way to have grown.
Your grandfather must have been an extremely interesting fellow.
Yes, he was. I feel we missed to understand the true value of such traditions from him.
Thanks for reading this post and sharing your views here.
Such an interesting tradition. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Pleasure is all mine. 🙂 Thanks for reading this post.
Beautiful ! These are the traditional gem recipes of our culture…and very eloquently executed Megala !
Thank you so much.
Amazing! Thank you for sharing such valuable traditional recipes and their importance Megala.
You are most welcome. Thanks for reading this post.
Loved this traditional porridge recipe, never had this but seems a good ayurvedic recipe to beat the heat and increase the stamina and immunity
Yes, certainly. Thank you so much.
After how many days you are publishing post?
Actually I am writing in this blog as a hobby, hope you appreciate this. Thank you.
Excellent way to beat the summer heat! Beautifully composed shots as well, Megala!
Glad you liked this post. Thank you.
Interesting post Megala! Oil bath has so many health benefits and healthy diet after that is definitely a great choice!!
Thank you so much for reading this post.
My pleasure always! ?
Sesame oil, herbal bath powders & milky porridge, that’s quite a regimen. Just goes to show that sometimes simple, natural remedies and preventatives can do so much good, maybe more of us should have such traditions! I’d not heard of black gram porridge before so this made for interesting reading, especially about what it’s potentially useful for, like with ulcers, I had no idea. xx
(EN) I lived some of that old traditions in remote villages and I thank you so so much Megala to share here some of them.?
(IT) Ho vissuto alcune di quelle vecchie tradizioni in villaggi sperduti e ti ringrazio tantissimo Megala di condividere qui alcuni di questi ?.
Most welcome! I’m so glad that you liked this post. 🙂
So true Megala. Our ancestors knew how to be healthy and eat healthy !
Yes! Now we need to pass the torch to the next gen.
Thanks Radhika!
I agree!