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Love is in my Tummy

Plant-based flavor

April 3, 2017 By Tina Dawson 12 Comments

‘Good Friday’ Coconut Conjee w/ Peanut Chutney

My family makes this Coconut Conjee w/ Peanut Chutney every Good Friday. To me, it’s comfort food at it’s best! Vegan + Gluten-free!My family makes this Coconut Conjee w/ Peanut Chutney every Good Friday. It's a simple, yet delicious meal that's comfort food at it's best! Vegan + Gluten-free!

So you know how I’ve said (so very many times) that I grew up in a family that lives to eat? Well, I cannot give you more proof to that statement than with the story behind this Coconut Congee.  Good Friday (the day Jesus was crucified to death), is a day of great sorrow, reflection and prayer for Christians all over the world. I come from a family of devout Catholics, and on Good Friday, we eat just one meal (lunch) and fast the remaining two meals. Most of the day is spent going on a pilgrimage to 9 churches around the city, ending the day with Stations of the Cross and Mass at our parish in the evening.

Our grandparents instructed us from childhood the seriousness of the day,and we weren’t allowed to laugh, or play, watch TV or even talk loudly or unnecessarily. The day was to be spent in silent contemplation of the sacrifice Jesus made to save mankind from eternal damnation.

And despite all that, Good Friday also happens to be one of the best lunches we have each year. Completely Vegan, it’s a huge spread that we eat on a banana leaf (the only time of the year we do that!), starting with this Coconut Conjee.

What’s so special about this Coconut Congee?

Well, this is no ordinary congee – a food that is generally meant for the sick. This one is flavoured with green cardamom, cloves and is doused in a ton of coconut milk.  When I asked my grandmother why we eat so well on such a sorrowful day, she explained that we offer food to God before we eat (yeah, we literally reserve a place setting at the altar on special occasions and only after a short family prayer giving thanks do we all sit down to eat), and he is already having a bad day. The best thing we can do for him, is to at least make sure he eats well.

Now as a grown up you are probably thinking, ‘what? That makes no sense’, and I totally agree. But as a kid, that made total sense, and for whatever reason, this was what our Good Friday lunches looked like:

Coconut Conjee w/ Peanut Chutney, Rice, Drumstick Sambar, Roasted+Spiced potatoes, Lightly seasoned Cabbage w/ fresh grated coconut, Brinjal curry and lots of crispy Papad. As long as my grandmother was alive, we also had a Bitter-gourd curry, to represent the bitterness of the occasion, but after her passing, there were no takers for that, so it was discontinued from practice. But every year, on Good Friday, and ONLY on Good Friday, did we partake in this one-of-a-kind feast.

My family makes this Coconut Conjee w/ Peanut Chutney every Good Friday. It's a simple, yet delicious meal that's comfort food at it's best! Vegan + Gluten-free!

Drown the mung dal and rice in water -it helps to soak it for 30mins to reduce cooking time. If you are opting to  soak, drain and rinse and use fresh water to cook. Here’s why you must not cook using the soaking liquid.

My family makes this Coconut Conjee w/ Peanut Chutney every Good Friday. It's a simple, yet delicious meal that's comfort food at it's best! Vegan + Gluten-free!

Cardamom and Cloves lend this Coconut Conjee a light and refreshing fragrance and flavour.  Add these whole spices to the pot while you cook the rice. I use a pressure cooker to cook rice and lentils, so it shouldn’t take more than 5-8 minutes to cook soft.

My family makes this Coconut Conjee w/ Peanut Chutney every Good Friday. It's a simple, yet delicious meal that's comfort food at it's best! Vegan + Gluten-free!

Once the rice and lentils are cooked mushy-soft, (and just before serving), douse the lot generously with coconut milk. I used canned coconut milk diluted with water, but if you’re extracting from fresh coconuts, you can use the first extract directly.

I like my conjee stiff (not too watery), but if you want it at a drinking consistency, double the amount of coconut milk + water listed in the recipe below.My family makes this Coconut Conjee w/ Peanut Chutney every Good Friday. It's a simple, yet delicious meal that's comfort food at it's best! Vegan + Gluten-free!

While the rice is cooking, make the peanut chutney with roasted (skinned) peanuts, roasted mung dal, tamarid juice, dry red chillies and garlic. Don’t add too much water though, you want this to be just a tad runnier than peanut butter!

Be warned that all this coconut milk can make you feel drowsy. I know, because every year at the 3 ‘o clock prayer in the afternoon, my brother and I would be fighting sleep and loosing the battle! Ah, memories!

When you make these (which I really think you SHOULD!), be sure to SHARE YOUR PHOTOS with me through Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. I’d love to see what you cook from here and will share it with pride on my social media feeds.

Coconut Conjee

Created by Tina Dawson on April 2, 2017

My family makes this Coconut Conjee w/ Peanut Chutney every Good Friday. It's a simple, yet delicious meal that's comfort food at it's best! Vegan + Gluten-free!

  • Prep Time:10m
  • Cook Time:10m
  • Total Time:40m
  • Serves: 2

Ingredients

For the Congee

  • 1 c raw rice
  • 1/2 c roasted split mung dal
  • 3 1/2 c water
  • 4 cloves
  • 2 green cardamom pods
  • 1 c canned coconut milk
  • 1 c water

For the peanut chutney

  • 1/2 c roasted (skinned) peanuts
  • 2 tsp. tamarind extract
  • 3 tbsp. roasted (split) mung dal
  • 1 -2 dry red chillies
  • 2 garlic cloves

Instructions

Make the Congee

  1. Lightly dry roast the mung dal till it doesn't smell raw anymore,instead smells nutty and nice.
  2. Soak the rice and roasted mung dal in water for 30 minutes. Rinse and drain the soaking liquid.
  3. Add 3.5 cups of water and cook rice as you normally would, until it is soft enough to mash easily.
  4. Dissolve the canned coconut milk in water and stir into the cooked rice. Let it warm up lightly on the stove for a few minutes before serving hot.

Make the Peanut Chutney

  1. In a blender, combine all the ingredients for the chutney: peanuts, mung dal, tamarind juice, dry red chillies, garlic and a little water.
  2. Blend until smooth and creamy, adding little water as needed and scraping down the sides as you go.
  • Print

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My family makes this Coconut Conjee w/ Peanut Chutney every Good Friday. It's a simple, yet delicious meal that's comfort food at it's best! Vegan + Gluten-free!

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Filed Under: All Recipes, Cuisines, Gluten-free, Indian, Lunch/Dinner, Table for two, Vegan, Vegetarian Tagged With: comfort food, congee, peanuts

Previous Post: « Quick ‘n’ Easy Mango Basil Sorbet with Dorot
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kim Lange says

    April 21, 2017 at 10:59 am

    Sounds perfectly delicious and healthy for any day of the week, but wow, such a powerful story. Love your photos!!! Do you set up a tripod to get the action shots? I need to know this! 😉

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      April 22, 2017 at 9:32 pm

      Thanks so much Kim! Yes, I use a tripod coupled with a remote trigger to get the action shots. I am usually alone when I shoot, so I gotta work the camera and be the hand model all at the same time! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Ashley - Forking Up says

    April 3, 2017 at 12:52 pm

    Wow! I grew up Catholic but never experienced this. So interesting to hear the backstory, it looks delicious!

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      April 3, 2017 at 1:34 pm

      Thanks Ashley! This is just a tradition in my family, I doubt anyone else ever does something like this….

      Reply
  3. Prasanna Hede says

    April 3, 2017 at 12:32 pm

    Loved your clicks and the recipe too! I wish my kids would eat such a wonderful meal they are hooked to fast food!

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      April 3, 2017 at 1:35 pm

      Oh no… that’s terrible… but keep cooking, and they’ll come around!

      Reply
  4. Brandi Crawford says

    April 3, 2017 at 12:31 pm

    I love the progress shots! Looks so good.

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      April 3, 2017 at 12:49 pm

      Thanks Brandi!

      Reply
  5. Beth @ Binky's Culinary Carnival says

    April 3, 2017 at 11:10 am

    That sounds like a truly delicious lunch feast! What lovely traditions you have to pass on to your children!

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      April 3, 2017 at 11:14 am

      Thanks so much Beth! I had a rather interesting family!

      Reply
  6. Ali @ Home & Plate says

    April 3, 2017 at 10:48 am

    This recipe sounds exotic and delicious. I have never had coconut conjee before and wish I lived next door so I could just come over and have a taste 🙂 The flavors must be absolutely wonderful and perfect for Good Friday!

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      April 3, 2017 at 11:14 am

      Ah blogger neighbors! It’s been my dream forever!!!! <3

      Reply

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Hi! I'm Tina - the human behind all the content you see on this blog. Welcome to my little corner of the internet where I create flavorful and unique plant-based recipes.

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