Samak rice, sold as samo, moriyo or sama ke chawal, is not rice at all but barnyard millet, a tiny cream grain that cooks soft in about fifteen minutes. On fasting days it takes the place of rice, and this khichdi is the one-pot meal that most Gujarati and North Indian homes turn to.
What goes in varies by family: some add curry leaves and yoghurt, some keep strictly to ghee, cumin and rock salt. The recipe below is a middle path, easy to adjust to your own fast.
Ingredients
- 200g (1 cup) Fudco samo seeds (1kg)
- 60g Fudco blanched peanuts (1kg)
- 2 tbsp Patanjali cow ghee (1kg), plus 1 tsp to finish
- 1 tsp Natco cumin seeds (400g)
- 1 tsp Heera white rock salt (400g)
- 1 medium potato, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
- 2 green chillies, slit, and a small piece of ginger, grated
- 8 to 10 curry leaves (optional)
- 750ml hot water
- Chopped coriander, lemon and plain yoghurt to serve
Method
- Tip the samo onto a plate and pick out any husks or small stones. Rinse it in a bowl three or four times, rubbing the grains between your palms, until the water runs clear. Cover with fresh water and soak for 20 minutes, then drain in a fine sieve.
- Toast the peanuts in a dry heavy pan over a medium-low flame for 5 minutes, stirring, until golden. Set aside half whole and crush the rest coarsely.
- In the same pan, heat the ghee over a medium flame. Add the cumin and let it crackle, then the curry leaves, chilli and ginger for a few seconds. Add the potato and fry for 4 minutes.
- Add the drained samo and stir for 2 minutes so every grain is coated in ghee. This keeps the grains distinct as they cook.
- Pour in the hot water, add the rock salt and all the peanuts, and bring to the boil. Turn the heat to its lowest, cover tightly and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until the grains are soft and the water has been absorbed. Stir once halfway so nothing catches.
- Turn off the heat and leave it covered for 5 minutes. Stir in the last teaspoon of ghee, scatter with coriander and serve with yoghurt and a wedge of lemon.
Cook's notes
Three parts water to one of samo gives a soft, spoonable khichdi; two parts gives separate grains, more like a pulao. In a pressure cooker, use the same amounts and cook for two whistles, then let the pressure drop on its own. Samo thickens as it stands, so loosen leftovers with a splash of hot water when you warm them through.
A spoon of plain yoghurt beaten with rock salt and a pinch of black pepper makes a quick raita on the side. Samo also makes a good upma: cook it with only two parts water, then fold through toasted peanuts and a little grated cucumber.
