Methiyechi Paez (Fenugreek and Rice Congee)
Rice and fenugreek seeds cooked to a mush, flavoured with coconut milk and jaggery is a traditional South Indian post natal recipe to help increase breastmilk and improve general wellness in new mothers
Servings 3 servings
Calories 920kcal
Ingredients
- 1/8 cup 25 grams fenugreek (methi) seeds
- 1/3 cup 65 grams raw rice * see notes
- 2 cups freshly extracted coconut milk * see notes
- 300 grams (2 discs) Mangalorean palm jaggery * see notes before proceeding
- pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons of ghee, for garnish - optional but recommended
Instructions
- Wash and soak the fenugreek seeds in drinking water, overnight or at least for 6-8 hours. Next morning drain the water (but don't discard it * see notes)
- Pressure cook the seeds with 3/4th cup of water for about 5-6 whistles. Remove from heat and let the cooker cool down to room temperature before opening it.
- Wash the rice in a couple of changes of water and add it to the partially cooked methi seeds. Add 2 cups (500 ml) water, pinch of salt and pressure cook again for 2-3 whistles. Remove from heat and let the cooker cool down completely.
- Open the cooker and place it back on heat. Add the coconut milk, jaggery (less to begin with) and salt to taste and let the mixture simmer till it thickens, about 15-20 mins. Check the taste of the congee and adjust the sweetness accordingly
- Important: take care not to cover the pan and not to cook the mixture on full heat - either of these actions will cause the coconut milk to curdle. Pay full attention although initially you can stir the mixture every once in a while to ensure that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the cooker.
- When the mixture thickens, the rice turns into a near mush and the methi seeds lose most of their bitterness. Remove from heat
- Drizzle with ghee and serve piping hot!
Notes
1. You can use any raw rice preferably one that doesn't turn mushy like kolam or basmati (unless you are using aged rice or basmati sela that doesn't mush up quickly). Short grain raw rice varieties like sona masoori, jeera sambal or dosa rice work well. Many South Indian versions of this dish call for red (unpolished) raw rice which is even better but the cooking time may vary. If you have a choice, use that.
2. Mangalorean Palm jaggery is made from the sap of the Palmyra palm (Eervol tree) unlike the one available in Bengal which is extracted from the Date palm. Each disc of palm jaggery weighs anything between 100-150 grams. I forgot to weigh the roundels before adding them to the dish so I suggest you use approx 200 grams to begin with and then increase it as you go. Always taste the dish when it has cooled to help your tastebuds get the right flavour and help you decide correctly. When the congee is hot it may taste less sweet, compelling you to add more and later you may feel that it is too sweet, so use your judgement properly.
3. If you don't have palm jaggery you can use regular cane jaggery, preferably the one that does not use chemicals during processing (organic is your best bet)
4. I strictly recommend you to use freshly extracted coconut milk for the above preparation - that's where the health benefits lie. DO NOT compromise on it whatsoever if you are making and serving this to new mothers - a mother's health and well being directly affects that of the baby.However, coconut milk can be reconstructed by mixing 8 tablespoons of coconut milk powder in 1-1/2 cups (1 cup = 250 ml) of warm water. Do note that commercially available coconut milk powder contains a ton of preservatives which are detrimental to your health. If you are making this dish to suit your taste buds, go ahead and do it. If you are serving it to kids, new mothers and the elderly for the prime purpose of enjoying its health benefits, stick to pure, unadulterated, freshly extracted coconut milk. Fresh coconut milk can be extracted by coarsely grinding 2-3 cups of freshly grated coconut with 1/2 cup of warm water and then straining it with the help of a muslin cloth or sieve. The first extract is the thick coconut milk and repeating the process with more warm water will yield the second and third extracts which is the thin coconut milk.
2. Mangalorean Palm jaggery is made from the sap of the Palmyra palm (Eervol tree) unlike the one available in Bengal which is extracted from the Date palm. Each disc of palm jaggery weighs anything between 100-150 grams. I forgot to weigh the roundels before adding them to the dish so I suggest you use approx 200 grams to begin with and then increase it as you go. Always taste the dish when it has cooled to help your tastebuds get the right flavour and help you decide correctly. When the congee is hot it may taste less sweet, compelling you to add more and later you may feel that it is too sweet, so use your judgement properly.
3. If you don't have palm jaggery you can use regular cane jaggery, preferably the one that does not use chemicals during processing (organic is your best bet)
4. I strictly recommend you to use freshly extracted coconut milk for the above preparation - that's where the health benefits lie. DO NOT compromise on it whatsoever if you are making and serving this to new mothers - a mother's health and well being directly affects that of the baby.However, coconut milk can be reconstructed by mixing 8 tablespoons of coconut milk powder in 1-1/2 cups (1 cup = 250 ml) of warm water. Do note that commercially available coconut milk powder contains a ton of preservatives which are detrimental to your health. If you are making this dish to suit your taste buds, go ahead and do it. If you are serving it to kids, new mothers and the elderly for the prime purpose of enjoying its health benefits, stick to pure, unadulterated, freshly extracted coconut milk. Fresh coconut milk can be extracted by coarsely grinding 2-3 cups of freshly grated coconut with 1/2 cup of warm water and then straining it with the help of a muslin cloth or sieve. The first extract is the thick coconut milk and repeating the process with more warm water will yield the second and third extracts which is the thin coconut milk.
Nutrition
Calories: 920kcal | Carbohydrates: 117g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 49g | Saturated Fat: 40g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 32mg | Potassium: 520mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 91g | Vitamin A: 6IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 7mg