Indian Cooking Tips: How To Make Kanji Payar - Kerala's Ultimate Comfort Food Without Oil

There's no dearth of comfort foods in the Indian cuisine. If we have khichdi on one end, you can find countless stews and appams on the other and if you go down to explore regional cuisines of south India, you can treat yourself to a diverse range of comfort foods that aren't just delicious but healthy too! The cuisine of Kerala, for instance, is otherwise widely known for some of the most scrumptious non-vegetarian dishes, mainly seafood, due to the vast coastline. But have you ever tried to dig deep into its vegetarian delicacies that offer some of the most comforting food made without even a drop of oil!?

Kanji Payar is a popular delicacy from Kerala which literally translates to rice soup of green moong bean since kanji in Malayalam means rice soup, while payar is the Malayalam word for green moong dal, cowpeas and similar varieties of legumes. Moong dal or cherupayar is one of the most popular beans used with kanji in Kerala or even across the country. A comfort food across homes in Kerala, kanji payar is a quick and easy dish that boasts of the flavours of coconut, chillies and spices. One can rely over this comfort food on hectic weekdays or even on lazy weekends. It is highly nutritious and easy to digest and could be your go-to dish on days when you are sick or having a bad stomach.

(Also Read: Diabetes Diet: Methi-Moong Dal Khichdi Is A Tasty, Protein-Rich Meal Option)

_{Moong dal comes with a whole lot of health benefits.}

The addition of moong dal in this recipe makes it a highly nutritious one since moong dal comes loaded with proteins which help in building muscles. We have an excellent recipe of kanji payar here that is made without even a drop of oil yet is brimming with spices and herbs that lend a yummy flavour to the dish. The combination of rice soup and moong bean is often served with papad and pickle on the side.

How To Make Kanji Payar At Home Without Oil:

Ingredients:

For rice soup:

Brown rice- 1 cup

Water- 3 cups

A pinch of salt

For Payar:

Cherupayar/Moong dal- 1 cup

Coconut (grated)- 1/2 cup

Red chilli powder- 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds- 1 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1 tsp

Garlic cloves (crushed)- 2

Green chillies (chopped)- 2

Water- 2 cups

Curry leaves (roasted)- 1 sprig

Salt- to taste

Papad- 2

Method:

1. To prepare the rice, wash and pressure cook the rice with water and salt for about 6 -7 whistles.

2. After it is cooked, make sure it has a soupy consistency, if not you can add more water for the required consistency.

3. For payar, pressure cook the moong dal with salt and water till 4-5 whistles. Remove the excess water post that.

4. Now grind the coconut, garlic, cumin seeds and green chilies and turmeric together for a ground mixture.

5. Mix the coconut mix with curry leaves and add it to the cooked moong dal. Mix well.

6. Transfer the rice soup in a bowl, top with ghee if you like, serve the payar and papad on the side.

You can also op the payar with a tadka.

Try this yummy comfort food from Kerala at home for your next meal and share your experience with us in the comments section below.