Congee(கஞ்சி)
Congee is a thick food made from rice. Congee originally came from India and became popular in many Asian countries. When eaten as plain rice porridge, it is often served with side dishes. When additional ingredients such as meat, fish and flavorings are added during the preparation of the porridge, it is often served as a meal for particularly sick people. The names for porridge are as varied as the style of its preparation. Although there are many variations, it is usually a thick porridge made from rice. It often disintegrates into mush after being cooked in water for long periods of time.
Originators
The word kanji comes from the Tamil word கானை.[1] [2] It was a staple food of the ancient Tamil people of ancient India. Its English form may have come into Portuguese via Portuguese traders. Probably because of its porridge-like appearance. Porridge made from millet was used as an ingredient by the ancient Tamil people.[3] Porridge is easy to prepare and very easy to cook.
Production
To make porridge, rice is boiled in large amounts of water until it becomes considerably soft. Porridge can be made in a pot or rice cooker. Some rice cookers have a setting for making "porridge". It has an instant cooking system. The rice used to make porridge can be short or long rice. It depends on availability and regional cultural influences. Mostly porridge has a cultural way of cooking and eating.
In some places, porridge is eaten primarily as a breakfast or late dinner; In other places, it is eaten as a substitute for rice. It is often considered a light, easily digestible food for patients. [4]
Country wise
India
In Tamil Nadu, a plain rice porridge, or the thick filtered water from overcooked rice is called kanji. Porridge is made from different grains available in different parts of Tamil Nadu such as small millet or pearl millet, [7] [8] finger millet, [9] broken wheat, maize etc. The people of Kerala eat a watery "porridge" made from rice with green lentils or dal. The porridge is made with rice or sorghum (raghi). Garlic porridge, chickpea porridge, sorghum porridge, and fenugreek porridge are also prepared.[10]
Burma
In Burma (now called Myanmar), rice is called porridge. It literally means "boiled rice". It is a very thin and plain porridge. It is often made with rice and water, but is sometimes made simply with chicken or pork, chopped onions, or crispy fried onions. As in other Asian countries, rice porridge is served as food for the sick.
China
Porridge is a breakfast staple in the Guangdong region of China. And in central and northern China it is called "Baizou". [5] Chinese porridge varies considerably by region. For example, to make Cantonese porridge, broken white rice is boiled in several times its weight of water until it becomes a very thick, white porridge. [6] Porridges made in other regions use different types of rice with different amounts of water to produce porridges of different consistency.
Nuts and spices are added to the porridge depending on economic status or health needs. Rice porridge is made by boiling rice in large quantities of water. In this preparation, milk and sugar (usually jaggery) or curd and salt are added. Kezhvaragu kanji is dried khevarakin soaked in water and sprouted in the shade, then ground into a fine powder and cooked by adding the powder to water. Milk and brown sugar are added to this product. Ragi porridge can be given to babies of six months. Another porridge preparation (English - SAGO, Hindi sabudana) uses sawvarisi. Sago porridge is dry-roasted and prepared with or without sugar. Sago is boiled in water until cooked. It is eaten by people of all ages, from three-year-old children to adults.
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