Chicken & Wheat Conjee/Porridge

ByFarwin Simaak

If there’s one thing that’s staple in our Iftar menu,that has to be the Conjee,the warm and comforting rice porridge that will fill your belly and delight you after those long hours of fasting.I have to have at least a couple of spoonfuls or else I feel as if I haven’t had anything at all.

Back at home we have it all year around,specially for breakfast,made with red rice or herbs.An easy one pot meal that keeps you fully satisfied.And in Ramadan,it’s made in all the Muslim households for Iftar,mostly with some kind of meat and veggies.I still remember taking the warm conjee made by mom and aunt,to neighbors as it is a sign of good gesture.And we would taste the different varieties of Conjee and snacks received from our neighbors and relatives.All this porridge talk conjures up vivid memories of past that makes me want to live them again….hmmmm.I still make it here on weekends,specially on friday mornings and my DH and sons love it..

 

Conjee,aka rice porridge,aka jook is a staple in most rice based cultures specially in China,Malaysia,HongKong,SriLanka to name a few.Wikipedia has more info on this here.It’s one of the first weaning foods given to a baby.Even though it’s made with water or stock in other cuisines,back at home we add coconut milk for grownups.

Unfortunately ,I couldn’t find the white raw rice we use, here in Dubai.But luckily I found another alternative,which is Bulgur Wheat,easy and cooks in much less time than the rice cause it’s already parboiled and broken.

And now this is what I make everyday..till the end of Ramadan..Do I get bored eating the samething everyday? No,I use different meats and sometimes only fried onions.

Here’s the recipe
Ingredients:
1/2 cup white bulgur wheat small
2 cups water
1 chicken breast,cut into small pieces
1/2 onion finely chopped
1 medium sized tomato finely chopped
3 tbsp grated carrot
few green stalks of spring onions or leeks chopped
5-6 curry leaves
2” inch cinnamon stick
3 cloves
3 cardomoms
3 cloves of garlic finely minced
1” inch ginger
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
l/4 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp pepper corns
2 1/2 cups coconut milk
salt to taste
Method:
  • Soak the wheat in water for about 30 minutes.Wash and drain.
  • In a pot,add the wheat and all the other ingredients except for coconut milk,cumin seeds and pepper corns.Add salt.
  • Boil until the meat is cooked and water has evaporated.Don’t make it very dry.
  • Add the coconut milk and crushed cumin seeds and pepper corns.Simmer for about 5 minutes.
  • Adjust seasoning.
  • Serve it warm.
Notes:
* You can garnish it with fried onion and chopped coriander leaves or spring onions.
* I used 1 cup of thick milk and the rest thin milk.1 cup of freshly grated coconut blended with 1 cup water yields 1 cup thick milk in the first extraction.Second and third extraction will give you thin milk.

* You can spoon out the curry leaves,ginger and whole spices before serving.You sure don’t want to bite into a cardomom or clove!

Enjoy the yummy goodness…!!!

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11 Comments

  1. mmm…such a comfort food recipe. this is actually the sort of thing I crave around Iftar, not any of the crazy heavy oily buffets. Gotta try, thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  3. My hubby's a huge fan of kanji during Ramadan, especially the 'jeeraka kanji' as we call it, made with jeera and coconut milk. Lovely pictures Farwin! Loved the first and second shots.

    Reply

  11. hi farwin, looks very appetizing and not so difficult to prepare. i guess its also good for people who has sensitive tummy, especially during fasting.
    glad i blog walk to your site.. hi, i am Wan, from malaysia, do visit my blog , would love to read a comment from you too. have a nice day

    Reply

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