Here is my simple and healthy Kerala special kanjiyum payarum, rice, and green moong dal gruel made in Instant Pot with the traditional Kerala matta rice.
Instant Pot is great for making quick and fuss-free one-pot meals, and with recipes that call for natural pressure release option, you don’t need to worry about turning it off, which I always prefer. And today’s recipe is one such easy one-pot meal – kanjiyum payarum. If you love easy one-pot rice recipes made in Instant Pot, please check out my rasam rice, kootu sadam, and many more Instant Pot recipes.
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For the next three days, I will be sharing some quick and easy vegetarian dinner ideas, and I am starting with this rice and green moong dal gruel. You can use these dinner ideas for lunch too. We are a family who loves idli and dosa for all three meals, and we also have rice during dinner as we have early dinner. So even though I say these as easy dinner ideas, you can make these for lunch too.
You might all wonder why this is an easy and quick recipe when the cooking time is 30 minutes. The prep work is minimal, and Instant Pot takes care of the rest. It’s an effortless recipe, but it does take time to cook the rice.
What is kanjiyum payarum?
This kanjiyum payarum is Kerala’s quintessential dish prepared with traditional matta rice and green moong dal. It’s Kerala’s comfort food, and we love it too. Earlier my son was not a big fan of this kanjiyum payarum, so I wasn’t making it often. Now he started liking that he can have it for any meal, and I started making it more often too.
Disclaimer: I am not calling this a traditional or authentic recipe. I adapted and modified the recipe to our liking. I make the coconut chutney/chamanthi and mix it with the kanji instead of serving it separately as a side.
Ingredients required
Matta rice: The Kerala special rice is reddish-brown, and the grains are slightly oversized and coarse compared to the other South Indian rice varieties. It has a unique taste and nutrient-rich variety for sure. If you can’t source matta rice, you can make this using brown or semi-brown rice too. If using white rice, reduce the cooking time.
Green moong dal: We also add green moong dal, and that’s the payaru in the kanji. I follow the ratio of 1:½ of rice to moong dal.
Water: We need lots of water for this kanji. For ¾ cup of grains (including rice and beans), we need at least 4 to 5 cups of water.
Salt: I added fine sea salt to this recipe, and you can add any salt of your choice to taste.
For the chamanthi/chutney: I used frozen coconut thawed to room temperature, shallots, dried red chilies, and cumin seeds for the chutney or the chamanthi as they say in Malayalam.
Variations
- Instead of adding the chutney to the gruel and simmering, you can serve it as a side to the gruel.
- I did not add garlic, curry leaves, cilantro, or tamarind to the chutney. You can add or remove ingredients as per your liking.
- Also, instead of adding the chutney after the rice has cooked, you can cook it along with the rice.
- Along with rice and green moong dal, you can add garlic, shallots, and green chilies and cook them together. In this case, you can skip the chutney.
Serving suggestions and storing options
Traditionally Kerala pappadum and assorted chutneys/chamanthi are served along with this kanji. But I love this kanji with tender mango pickle/maavadu or other pickles, while my husband and son enjoy it with dry curries. You can also serve this with pacha manga chamanthi, thogayal thoran, or other thogayal/chutney varieties.
So far, I have only stored this for two days and not more. Usually, I make the required amount, and we will finish it soon.
One thing to note, as the kanji stays longer, the rice absorbs all the water and becomes thick. You might have to add extra water and salt to bring it to the gruel consistency.
How to make kanjiyum and payarum in Instant Pot
- Rinse the matta rice and green gram and add them to the inner Pot. Add a tsp of salt and 4 cups of water.
- Close the Instant Pot. Ensure the sealing ring is in place and set the vent to the sealing position. Cook the soup at high-pressure manual/pressure cook mode for 30 minutes, and after the cooking is done, naturally release the pressure.
- Parallelly, make the chutney/chamanthi. Heat a pan and roast the coconut, dried red chilies, peeled and chopped shallots, and cumin seeds.
- Roast until the coconut turns light brown. Then let it cool.
- Pulse it coarsely without adding any water.
- Carefully open the Instant Pot lid once the pressure has subsided.
- Add the ground chutney and more salt, if required.
- Mix well and simmer for 5 minutes and turn off the heat. That’s it; the kanjiyum payarum is ready. Enjoy it warm with a pickle or pappadum.
Recipe Notes
- Instead of dried red chilies, you can use green chilies too. And instead of frozen coconut, you can use dried unsweetened coconut or fresh coconut too.
- Adjust salt and chilies to taste.
- If you make this with brown or semi-brown rice, reduce the cooking time to 20 to 25 minutes.
- Water measure: We must cook the matta rice with lots of water. Do not add less than 4 cups of water. You can add up to 6 cups of water for this measure too.
- I typically don’t soak matta rice. In Instant Pot, with 30 minutes of cooking time, the rice gets done perfectly.
- Pressure cooker method: If using the stove-top pressure cooker, cook the rice and green moong for 5 to 6 whistles. Once the pressure subsides, open the cooker, add the chutney, and simmer for five minutes.
More Instant Pot South Indian Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Kanjiyum Payarum | Rice and Green Moong Dal Gruel
Equipment
- Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
Measurement Details: 1 cup = 240ml; 1 tbsp = 15ml; 1 tsp = 5ml;
- ½ cup matta rice
- ¼ cup green gram
- 4 cups water
- 1.5 tsp salt divided
For the chamanthi
- 2 tbsp coconut
- 2 dried red chilies
- 2 shallots
- ¼ tsp cumin seeds
Instructions
- Rinse the matta rice and green gram and add them to the inner Pot. Add a tsp of salt and 4 cups of water.
- Close the Instant Pot. Ensure the sealing ring is in place and set the vent to the sealing position. Cook the soup at high-pressure manual/pressure cook mode for 30 minutes, and after the cooking is done, naturally release the pressure.
- Parallelly, make the chutney/chamanthi. Heat a pan and roast the coconut, dried red chilies, peeled and chopped shallots, and cumin seeds.
- Roast until the coconut turns light brown. Then let it cool.
- Pulse it coarsely without adding any water.
- Carefully open the Instant Pot lid once the pressure has subsided. Add the ground chutney and more salt, if required.
- Mix well and simmer for 5 minutes and turn off the heat. That’s it; the kanjiyum payarum is ready. Enjoy it warm with a pickle or pappadum.
Notes
- Instead of dried red chilies, you can use green chilies too. And instead of frozen coconut, you can use dried unsweetened coconut or fresh coconut too.
- Adjust salt and chilies to taste.
- If you make this with brown or semi-brown rice, reduce the cooking time to 20 to 25 minutes.
- Water measure: We must cook the matta rice with lots of water. Do not add less than 4 cups of water. You can add up to 6 cups of water for this measure too.
- I typically don’t soak matta rice. In Instant Pot, with 30 minutes of cooking time, the rice gets done perfectly.
- Pressure cooker method: If using the stove-top pressure cooker, cook the rice and green moong for 5 to 6 whistles. Once the pressure subsides, open the cooker, add the chutney, and simmer for five minutes.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
I am in love with this recipe Vidhya! I love making one pot rice and I was looking for a recipe to use matta rice as I love the flavor. This is perfect and post holidays, this is the lunch I am making :)
Thanks Sandhya.