Instructions
Rinse and soak the millet
Rinse the foxtail millet in two or three changes of water until it runs clear, then soak it for 30 minutes — or overnight if you want it ready to cook first thing in the morning. Soaking softens the small grain so it cooks down faster and creamier. Soaking time is separate from the active cooking time above.
Simmer it soft in plenty of water
Drain the millet into a heavy pan with 2–2½ cups of water and a little salt. That is roughly 1 part millet to 4–5 parts water — deliberately much wetter than the 1:2.5 you would use for a firm, fluffy foxtail dish like upma, because a kanji is meant to be soft and spoonable. Bring it to a boil, drop the heat, and simmer 15–20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the grains burst and the porridge turns creamy and begins to thicken.
Pull it looser than you want
It sets thicker as it cools, so take it off the heat while it is still a touch looser than you actually want it — a kanji that looked perfect in the pan turns to a stiff cake by breakfast. If it does set too firm, a splash of hot water or buttermilk brings it back. Now let it cool to room temperature.
Sour it overnight — the traditional version
Once the porridge is at room temperature (not hot, or it will split the dairy), stir in about a cup of buttermilk or a few spoons of curd, cover it, and leave it out overnight to sour lightly. This is the ambali or pazhaya kanji — a mildly fermented, cooling porridge. By morning it smells pleasantly tangy.
Serve cold with shallots and chilli
Eat the soured kanji cold, thinned with a little more buttermilk, and season each bowl with chopped shallots, chopped green chilli and salt. This is exactly how it is eaten as a summer breakfast in millet-growing homes — cold, sour, savoury and light.
Or make the quick fresh version
No time to ferment? Cool the cooked porridge a little, stir in buttermilk and salt, and eat it warm or cool straight away. For either version, a quick tempering — a teaspoon of ghee, cumin and curry leaves crackled and poured over the top — gives it a savoury finish.