Makai ka kheecha (cornmeal porridge)

• Servings: 3-4
• Preparation time: 2 minutes.
• Cooking time: 20-25 minutes.
• Total time: 27 minutes.

I had been on trip to London. My daughter in law ordered to home delivery for lunch to an Italian restaurant. I tasted one of the dishes named ‘Polenta’. This dish made from cornmeal and taste is awesome.

That moment I recalled my childhood day, actually it was resemble to our Indian recipe ‘Makai ka kheecha’. The next morning I prepared the dish with some variation as ‘Makai ka kheecha’ traditionally served as ‘Halwa or Porridge’, but in my recipe I set this porridge in a greased plate and after cooling, cut into square and rectangle.

Many decades ago; this cornmeal recipe was traditionally associated with lower class, poor, rural and peasant people for their everyday nutrition. But now for couple of decades it has become popular in all segment of Indian society and available in the top restaurants too.

So, plan to prepare the recipe and enjoy the recipe…you may serve as porridge or make slice as per your choice but it is important to take care of the texture and consistency.

Very light to eat as breakfast…or with evening tea… as light meal…

Note: Traditionally it is made from yellow cornmeal.

Ingredients:

• Makai ka Aata (cornmeal): 100 gm.
• Water: 400 ml
• Salt: ½ teaspoon
• Butter: 2 table spoon
• Roasted cumin powder: ½ teaspoon
• Meetha soda (soda bicarb): 1 pinch (optional)
• Turmeric powder: 1 pinch (optional)
• Garlic paste: ¼ teaspoon (optional)

For seasoning:

• Cooking oil: 1 tablespoon
• Cumin ½ teaspoons
• Mustard seeds: ½ teaspoon
• Curry leaves: 1 twig
• Green chilli: 1-2 no.
• Fresh coriander leaves: 2 tablespoon (chopped)

Preparation:

1. Chop the coriander leaves, slit green chilli keep aside.
2. Grease a plate with ghee/oil, keep aside.

Method:

1. Boil water in a thick bottom pot; bring the water to boil, add salt and 1 tablespoon of butter in it, add cumin powder, garlic paste and meetha soda too.
2. Add cornmeal into the boiling water in a steady manner: continue stirring until become thick, cover the pot and cook on lower flame for 10-12 minutes, add remains butter. It is necessary stir occasionally to cook evenly and prevent settling down on the bottom.
3. Cook until it comes to the halwa consistency; pour it on the greased plate, allow cooling and cut into rectangle or square shape as you wish. Keecha is ready to serve on the table after seasoning.

Seasoning:

1. Take a fry pan and heat oil, when it starts to smoke add cumin, mustard seed and green chilli.
2. Sputter it for few seconds; pour this seasoning over the prepared kheecha.
3. Transfer into platter and decorate with coriander Leaves. Now Makai ka kheecha (cornmeal porridge) is ready to serve.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

Makai ka kheecha (cornmeal porridge) by Nag Ratna Sahu is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.