Koozhu ( Fermented Ragi Porridge )

Koozhu with pearl onion - JFI-Flour

The month of aadi and the thiruvizha (festival) is something that every kid in Tamilnadu would remember. I am sure that there would be several analogous festivals in different states. It signifies the start of sowing seeds again. The festival is primarily to please Goddess Amman. All the streets in the temple vicinity would be adorned with rows and rows of neem leaves. Compulsarily LR Eeswari (famous playback singer who sings Amman songs) would be blaring in all the street corners via speakers.

Generally people would pray for some blessings and in return would offer to please God either by cooking and serving sweet pongal in the temple ( Venduthal ), or walking on fire, or serving food to people, so on and so forth.

I remember vividly how many ladies would be pretexed with God and they will be shaking violently. They beleive that God "enter" their bodies for a short time. After a while they kind of faint and means God "left" her body. Only women are pretexed by God.

During this festival, koozhu** ( fermented ragi porridge ) will be made at home and donated to the temple. The koozhu from all homes will be mixed in giant vessels and donated to the people of the village.

Koozhu the drink has many health benefits. It is made of millet (ragi) which is very healthy. It is fermented and its properties are increased many folds by this process. Also koozhu is very very cooling on the body and suits apt for the hot summer the festival is conducted. You can drink a glass of this and not feel hungry for alteast 8 hours. Its so filling, hearty and very healthy.

I am sure I missed several key points about the festival. I googled without much success. Please let me know if you have more information about it. I found a forum with a detailed way to prepare koozhu. Also check out the unfermented version - Indira's Ragi mudda. Here is how I prepared after asking my mother about it.

Ingredients

• A cup of ragi flour
• A couple of tablespoons boiled rice
• half cup of non-fat yoghurt/buttermilk
• a tsp of kosher/crystal salt
  

Cook ragi to the consistency above. Ready-made ragi flour (below)

• Mix a cup of ragi flour ( Store-bought ) with two cups of water nicely with your hand.
• Leave it overnight to make it sour
• Cook the ragi on medium-low heat till almost all the water is evaporated and raagi is well-cooked. Around 10 to 15 minutes
• Be sure to be stirring every second to avoid any lumps. Add more water if needed.
• When the koozhu is the right consistency ( cake batter consistency ), add a tablespoon of cooked rice and switch off.
• Let it cool and mix with half a cup of yoghurt and a tsp of crystal or kosher salt
• Perfect accompaniments would be raw pearl onions, black-eyed beans curry ( karakozhambu ), dried fish curry ( karuvaatu kozhambu ), fish curry.

Tips

• If the raagi lumps out, transfer contents to blender and whip up
• You can let the koozhu sit after cooking it and it will continue to ferment
• Cooking it in clay pots enhances the flavour
• To test that the ragi is cooked ( as Mr. Gopinath says - Wet your hands and slightly dip your finger inthe boiling solution. If the raagi + rice sticks to your finger it is not yet cooked. Allow it tocontinue. Then test again, if it doesn’t stick to your hands then it is cooked. )
  

** As to how to pronounce Koozhu, z and h has no significance, it could be said roughly as "Koolu" though Tamil-lovers consider it as a cardinal sin. I will try to search for an audio file on how to pronounce the all-famous "zh" in Tamil.