Longevity food| Comforting rice porridge with greens

Longevity food has been all the rage lately and my favorite among Longevity food that I make is rice porridge with greens from Sri Lanka, called Kola Kanda. Sri Lanka’s very own secret breakfast powerhouse of herbal rice congee full of leafy greens. I grew up on such nutrient pack and delicious breakfast porridge with herbs and greens, at least once a week, even before any talk of longevity food with medicinal properties to them. Cooking was my mother’s happy place and she would make a delicious Kola Kanda for us over the weekends, for the whole family to enjoy.

I feel like my blog is mostly about fond childhood memories and chasing down those food entangled special moments, recreating them as best as I can with my own little one. Food is my love language that I transfer my heritage, sweet moments in my life. After cold and frosty snowy days for long I am so eager and exited for spring.

The best time to make Sri Lankan rice porridge with greens is in the spring. When there is an abundance of life springing from all around you and plenty of fresh new growth and leafy greens to pick from. I love the feeling of spring sun on my cheeks coming from my kitchen window in the mornings and listening to the humming of various birds; while enjoying freshly made, warm comforting bowl of rice porridge with greens with a piece of Jaggery. It’s one of those little blessings of life I will never get tired of.

Kola Kanda; Rice porridge with greens from Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan Kola Kanda, a traditional rice porridge with greens, is not just a breakfast dish; it embodies a rich tapestry of culinary heritage and cherished memories. The vibrant amalgamation of starchy rice, aromatic curry leaves, and an assortment of tender greens yields a comforting, nutrient-packed delicacy. Each spoonful evokes warmth and nostalgia, reminiscent of spring mornings and the embrace of familial love. The unique infusion of flavors, accented by the distinctive touch of Jaggery, captivates the palate and elevates the dining experience. Through its cultural significance and tantalizing appeal, Kola Kanda stands as a testament to the enduring essence of traditional Sri Lankan cuisine, inviting enthusiasts to embark on a journey of culinary delight and cherished tradition.

There are more than few variations to Sri Lankan Kola Kanda, (Rice porridge with leafy greens) . Depending upon what types of greens or herbs are juiced to make the porridge taste slightly differs. The dish can be made to contain medicinal properties, like anti-inflammatory or ayurvedic food, or just a healthy, delicious warm and comforting bowl of heritage breakfast. In my former post featured in Westford Neighbors magazine, I gave a snippet of how we Sri Lankan add more green vegetables to our diet, it all begins here with Sri Lankan herbal porridge or Kola Kanda.

Best choices of green vegetables to make Kola Kanda

My popular choice of greens while making every day green porridge are Kale and Collard greens. Traditionally edible backyard greens Moringa leaves, hummingbird leaves, Ponnankanni were among my favorites in my childhood memories. For the medicinal or herbal rice porridge with greens my mom used curry leaves, wild asparagus (native asparagus to Asia), Asiatic penny wort, or type of winter cherry in Sri Lanka. Either way it was a thorough source of micronutrients dose with much needed carbohydrate, for the first meal of the day.

I am using the herbal version rice porridge with greens with Kale, Collard greens, little bit of parsley and plenty of curry leaves. You can experiment with different leafy greens, while staying away from greens that tend to become slimy, mushy or change color and flavor while cooking as it can become unappetizing. Similarly stay away from the greens that have extreme bitter flavor.

In today’s world of easy kitchen gadgets, making a warm bowl of medicinal rice porridge with greens and herbs is much less work. I use my trusted centrifuge juicer first and then blend them up with grated coconut to extract every ounce of that goodness from them with water. Once ready, we can get cooking our herbal breakfast.

How to cook the herbal rice porridge recipe

Ingredients

One cup of starchy short grain raw rice
Two to three shallots
One green chili (optional)
Two cloves of garlic
Salt and black pepper to taste
One bunch of kale and one bunch of collard greens with half a cup of curry leaves
Small bunch of parsley
Two cups of scraped fresh coconut meat grated
Water to extract juice

Lets cook

Wash the greens, remove tough stems, and roughly chop them. About 4 quarters bowl full of leafy greens, I’d say a good amount

Slice shallots green chilies and garlic add it to a heavy bottom pan with rice and start cooking in excess water. Keep the pot covered as you don’t want to evaporate or absorb all the water out.

While rice is cooking, blend the greens with scraped coconuts to make a paste. Squeeze out as much juice as you can from it. Return the scraping to your blender again with a little water and repeat the process a couple of times more.

Alternative to this, run the greens through a juicer. Collect the mashed pulp leftover and blend it with coconut and water to extract the juices one more time.

Once the rice grains are cooked to soft consistency and resembles congee, add the extracted juice.

Cook for a few more minutes until the rice porridge with greens comes to about boiling. Turn the heat off taste test and adjust seasoning to your liking.

Enjoy with little bit of “Jaggery” or a Roast “Paan” on a side. I know it’s good on its own, but that is just the way I like it. I hope you will find your own perfect side to go with it.

Happy herbal rice porridge with greens everyone!