Beef & Rice Conjee/Porridge

After a long silence in my blog,here I am reviving it again. Come what may,I realized I couldn't abandon my blog. I sincerely thank all my readers who messaged me,inspiring me to keep the blog alive. Also a shout out to my husband who designed this lovely header. Felt like coming back to a newly decorated, good old home filled with memories. A lot happened during the past year,and I thank the Almighty for giving me courage and keeping me going.

It's the blessed month of Ramadan. A month of fasting,not feasting. This year,Alhamdulillah,I made a resolution to keep our meals to a bare minimum. Not that we had extravagant meals all these years,but the focus was always been on food rather than more on worship. It's always been what to cook for Iftar(Breaking fast),what to make for Suhoor(Early Morning meal),how many iftars do I have to organize and so on and so forth. But starting my higher studies on Islam, getting myself bombarded(in a good way) with all the updates about the true essence of Ramadan by the social media and various groups that I'm part of, helped me realize the true spirit of this blessed month.

Now in Srilanka, the staple Iftar meal is the Conjee or the rice porridge.

This is what we've been having for Iftar plus dinner every day. The snack and the fruit juice will vary every other day. This is a simple dish that doesn't require much time. I make it for 2 days and refrigerate minus the coconut milk. If you want to keep a portion aside,after you boil the rice you take a portion of it and refrigerate. For the remaining rice portion you add the coconut milk and consume it that day. Freshly squeezed coconut milk is what we always use for this but a lot of us here in Gulf are unable to get fresh coconut. So substitute coconut milk powder diluted with water or canned milk.

Beef and Rice Conjee
Serves 4

½ cup white raw rice
150g beef cut into small pieces
1 small carrot julienned/cut into strips
1 small leek chopped or green onion chopped
1 small onion chopped
1 small tomato chopped
3 cloves garlic,peeled and cut into half
1 inch piece ginger
few curry leaves
1 piece pandan leaf/rampe
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
¼ teaspoon cumin powder
¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
salt to taste
3 cups water

1 cup coconut milk
¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
few peppercorns
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In a pot add rice,beef,ginger,garlic,curry leaf and pandan leaf,the spice powders,fenugreek seeds,chopped carrot and leek,chopped onion and tomato with water.Add salt.
Do not cover while boiling.Boil on medium to low heat,till the beef gets cooked and rice becomes mushy.
Switch off the fire and mash the rice with the back of a big spoon.
Add the coconut milk bit by it and mix it with the rice,getting a smooth consistency.
At this stage,the porridge will be thick.You need to add 1 cup of water or more to dilute it. It should be in the consistency of a slightly thick soup.
Add more salt.
Keep the conjee on fire again and heat it. Crush the cumin seeds and peppercorn using a mortar and pestle to a fine powder.
Sprinkle it on the conjee and mix it.
When the conjee is heated and bubbles start to appear on the sides take it off from fire.

You can garnish it with fried onions.