If Vishu is about waking up in the wee hours to see ‘Vishu Kani’..., receiving blessings and kaineetam from the elders of the family and bursting crackers, it is also about tantalising your taste buds with delicious and delectable treats. Traditionally just ahead of Vishu households are a beehive of activity _ making ‘neyyappam’, ‘chakka varatti’, ‘chakka varuthathu’ and the like. “Jack fruit is one of the main items for kani. So during Vishu, we make ‘chakka varuthathu’ and ‘chakka varatti’. They are a must. For vishu sadya, the ‘chakka varatti’ is also used to make ‘chakka payasam’,” reminisces 60 year-old Seeta C K.
Vishu sadya is prepared by one and all Keralites across the state. But to people residing in Central Kerala, ‘Vishu Kanji’ is an equally important delight. The thick, slightly sweet and salty rice porridge that is exclusively prepared for breakfast on Vishu Day is a main dish prepared by the natives of Palakkad residing in the city. “‘Vishu kanji’ is an inevitable dish from our Vishu menu. It is accompanied by ‘cherupayar puzhukk’ or even ‘chakka puzhukk’,” says Sujala C, a homemaker from Palakkad who has been residing in the city for the past 16 years. “It is said that Vishu kanji is a favourite food of Lord Srikrishna,” she adds. Vishu Kanji is made using parboiled rice, raw rice, ‘puliavarakka’, coconut milk and topped with grated coconut. It is partaken in an aesthetic and interesting way. “The most exciting part of Vishu kanji lies in its eating. The taste is enhanced by the utensil it is served in. No, it’s neither a plate nor a bowl, but the hot and savoury kanji is served in a bowl-shaped banana stem (‘vazha pola’) laced with a banana leaf. And the spoon is made with a leaf of the jack tree. “I still remember how my mother used to make the ‘kumbil’ from the leaves for us. This makes the dish all the more tasty,” recollects Asha K.
If Palakkad’s ‘Vishu kanji’ is salty, for Vaikom natives, their Vishu Kanji is slightly sweetened with jaggery. “We add jaggery along with rice, grated coconut, red cow peas (‘vanpayar’). It is not as sweet as payasam though,” says Jayanth M, a professional working in a media consulting firm.
Recipe for Vishu Kanji
Ingredients:
Parboiled Rice (preferable rose matta) : 3 cups
Long Grain Rice /Raw rice : 2 cups
Puliavarakka/Mochapayaru/ Butter beans : A handful (Dry roasted in a kadai and slightly crushed)
Coconut Milk : 3 1/2 cups
Fresh Grated Coconut : 2 cups
Salt to taste
Method
Dry roast ‘puliavarakka’ separately for 5 minutes and grind it in a grinder.
Separately wash 2 cups of long-grain and 3 cups of parboiled rice.
Boil the parboiled rice to 10-12 cups of water. When it heats up put the raw rice and ‘puliavarakka’ and cook.
Once the rice is cooked add coconut milk and stir. Add salt to taste.
Add the grated coconut and stir gently before
serving.
Serves best with ‘Cherupayar puzhukku’ or ‘Chakka puzukku’ or pappadam.