Step 1

Wash the whole grain first and drain the water. I used 6 cups of water for 1 cup of grain. You can adjust the water accordingly depending on the grain and the consistency you prefer.

Step 2

Start by adding the whole grain, water, fenugreek, salt, and cloves of garlic to a deep enough wide pot over medium/low heat on the stovetop.

Step 3

Let it boil with a lid closed. While the rice is cooking, move on to clean the herbs. I used a mix of curry leaves and Gotu kola. You may use a handful of any herbs mentioned in the post.

Step 4

When cleaning the herbs, discard any unwanted roots, stems, any other leaves that don't belong out of the way and collect only the greens needed for this recipe.

Step 5

Use more herbs for a stronger flavour, use little amount if you prefer a milder taste.

Step 6

Soak the greens in salted water for a few minutes to kill any bacteria, insects and any critters that linger on the leaves. Wash with clean water before use.

Step 7

To extract the juice out of the herb, normally we'd grind a handful of greens in a standard blender. Extract the juice then add it to the rice to blend in. This creates the rice and the herbs to separate towards the end, it does not blend well in my opinion.

Step 8

To get a richer creamier porridge, I like to add the washed Gotu kola, cooked rice along with the water to puree everything by using a high-speed blender.

Step 9

Once everything is purred, pour it back on to the pot and turn the heat to low then add coconut milk. Fresh coconut milk is always best but you can use coconut milk powder or the canned coconut milk to get the richer flavour. If coconut milk is not available you can go with whole milk.

Step 10

Avoid boiling the porridge. After adding the milk, let it cook for about 2 minutes. When it starts to boil take it off the stove.

Step 11

Taste to see if salt needs adjusting. If you prefer thicker consistency add more pureed Gotu kola or coconut milk but if you prefer your porridge to be more liquidy add water as you need.

Step 12

As it cools down it will get thickened. Add more water to thin it if preferred. Serve with a piece of jaggery on the side. Some prefer black pepper over it instead.