Kambu Soru and Kambu Koozh | Kammanchoru Recipe | Fermented Bajra

kambu soru kambu sadam
Recipe for traditional kammanchoru made with pearl millet. Recipe with step by step pictures and video. Kambu rice aka Fermented Bajra.

Kammanchoru is a traditional recipe made in the Kongunadu region. Kambu aka bajra / pearl millets are used for making this recipe. The millets are first soaked briefly and then ground to a coarse powder. The millets are usually ground in a “ural-ulakkai” / stone mortar. It can be very laborious and time consuming to make it in the stone mortar. My mother in law makes it in ural ulakkai to this day. I prefer the mixie at home. I think it comes equally well in a mixie too. The ground powder is then cooked to a porridge. The porridge thickens up when cooled. The cooked and cooled mixture is then made into balls and had for lunch along with a curry made with keerai (greens) or horse gram. The leftover kambu balls is then left in water to ferment and had as a porridge for dinner or for breakfast. The fermented balls are diluted with yogurt and had with shallots, green chillies, chilli chutney, fried dried anchovies and other condiments. The porridge is a must during summer and is believed to be very cooling for the body. The balls get a little sour during fermentation. Usually after 5-6 hours of fermenting, store the balls in the refrigerator and use it to make porridge whenever needed. The balls will stay good for up to 2-3 days.

Here is the video of how to make Kambu Soru | Kammanchoru Recipe | Fermented Bajra

Here is how to make Kambu Soru | Kammanchoru Recipe | Fermented Bajra
Clean and wash the kambu in running water 2-3 times. Soak the kambu in water for 30 minutes.
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After soaking, drain the water on a colander. Let the kambu sit in the colander for about 5 minutes for the residual water/ moisture to drain.
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Now grind the kambu to a coarse powder. Use the pulse mode to grind. Make sure not to grind to a fine powder. We are looking for a coarse sandy consistency. Let the ground coarse mixture sit in the mixie for five minutes. The powder will become dry. But many times, when you feel the powder, it may be lumpy. The easiest way to remove the lumps is to grind / pulse again in mixie for just one time. This is a very important step. If you have lumps to begin with, your kambu soru will also be lumpy after its cooked. So make sure there are no lumps in the powder.
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Boil 3 cups of water in a pressure cooker. If you are doing it for the first time, use 3.5 cups of water (1/2 cup extra). The half cup extra water is our backup plan so the porridge does not scorch at the bottom when cooked. Do not add more than that. Let it come to a slow boil.
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Add in the kambu powder and mix well. Make sure to cook on a medium flame. Even low flame is ok.
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Cook for two – three minutes until the kambu mixture starts becoming thicker.
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When the kambu is thick and bubbles start appearing, close the cooker. At this stage, if the mixture looks too thick, add half a cup of water. (If you have added 3.5 cups to begin with, dont add more unless the mixture is very very thick ). Mix well to combine. The water quantity varies every time depending on the age of the kambu, variety etc.. But a little extra water will not be a problem. So do not worry.
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Cook for just 2 whistles. It should take about 3-4 minutes. Do not cook for long. After the said time, remove the cooker from heat and allow for the pressure to settle naturally. Open the cooker and mix well. The porridge may have slightly formed a film at the bottom but thats ok. Just scrape the bottom and mix well. The porridge will thicken as it cools. We will make balls when it cools. Allow it to rest for 20-30 minutes.
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When the mixture is thickened, now is the time to make balls. Wet your hands in water and make balls of the desired size you prefer. If you are going to have the balls right away, set aside on a plate. The warm balls go well with the following side dishes
Kollu Masiyal / Horse Gram Mash and Rasam
Kaata Kuzhambu – Traditional kongu gravy made for porridges
Keerai Kuzhambu – Greens curry
Meen Kuzhambu – Fish Curry

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If cooked on medium flame and with correct water quantity, the kambu mixture should not scorch at the bottom. The main things to note while cooking this porridge is to cook on a medium flame, do not use a really big cooker for a small quantity of porridge ( I have used a 5 liter cooker today for 1 cup of dry kambu ), grind the kambu to a coarse powder and not fine powder and finally make sure that there are no lumps in the mixture.
Note: If the mixture has not thickened after cooling, just cook it for a few minutes more stirring continuously. The mixture will thicken up.
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If you are going to store it for making koozh / fermented porridge, immerse the balls in water. Cover the bowl with a lid. Let it ferment at room temperature for 5-6 hours. After 5-6 hours, store the kambu balls in the refrigerator. Whenever you want to make porridge, remove one ball and proceed. The balls will stay good in the refrigerator for up to two to three days.
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Take a ball and place it in a bowl. Add whisked yogurt to the bowl. Plant based yogurts, cow milk yogurt – you can use whatever you prefer. The quantity of yogurt is again a personal preference. Use more or less according to what you may like. Mix well. Dilute the mixture with little fermented water. A lot of probiotics will be in the water. So consume the water and do not throw it away.
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Finally garnish it with chinna vengayam aka small onions / Indian shallots and sliced green chillies. If you like karuvaadu / dried fish, some fried anchovies will taste great too.
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Enjoy! We also make a quick red chilli chutney / sambal (see picture below) that goes fantastically well with kambu soru. Giving the recipe below.
kambu soru kambu sadam

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Kambu Soru | Kammanchoru Recipe | Fermented Bajra

Recipe for traditional kammanchoru made with pearl millet. Recipe with step by step pictures and video. Kambu rice aka Fermented Bajra.

  • Total Time: 40m
  • Yield: 6-7 balls 1x

Ingredients

Scale

For the Kambu Soru

1 cup Kambu / Bajra
3 cups water

For the Kambu Koozh / Fermented Porridge

salt to taste
plain yogurt
chopped Indian shallots
chopped green chillies

For the Red Chilli Chutney / Sambol

1 marble sized tamarind (soaked in water for 10 minutes)
6 dry red chillies
2 sprigs curry leaves
6 Indian shallots
2 tablespoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon jaggery

Instructions

For the Kambu Soru

Clean and wash the kambu in running water 2-3 times. Soak the kambu in water for 30 minutes. After soaking, drain the water on a colander. Let the kambu sit in the colander for about 5 minutes for the residual water/ moisture to drain. Now grind the kambu to a coarse powder. Use the pulse mode to grind. Make sure not to grind to a fine powder.

Boil 3 cups of water in a pressure cooker. Let it come to a slow boil. Add in the kambu powder and mix well. Make sure to cook on a medium flame. Even low flame is ok. Cook for two – three minutes until the kambu mixture starts becoming thicker. When the kambu is thick and bubbles start appearing, close the cooker. Cook for just 2 whistles. It should take about 3-4 minutes. Do not cook for long. After the said time, remove the cooker from heat and allow for the pressure to settle naturally. Open the cooker and mix well. Allow it to rest for 20-30 minutes.

When the mixture is thickened, now is the time to make balls. Wet your hands in water and make balls of the desired size you prefer. If you are going to have the balls right away, set aside on a plate.

For the Kambu Koozh / Fermented Porridge

If you are going to store it for making koozh / fermented porridge, immerse the balls in water. Cover the bowl with a lid. Let it ferment at room temperature for 5-6 hours. After 5-6 hours, store the kambu balls in the refrigerator. Whenever you want to make porridge, remove one ball and proceed. The balls will stay good in the refrigerator for up to two to three days.

Take a ball and place it in a bowl. Add whisked yogurt to the bowl. Plant based yogurts, cow milk yogurt – you can use whatever you prefer. The quantity of yogurt is again a personal preference. Use more or less according to what you may like. Mix well. Dilute the mixture with little fermented water. A lot of probiotics will be in the water. So consume the water and do not throw it away.

Finally garnish it with chinna vengayam aka small onions / Indian shallots and sliced green chillies. If you like karuvaadu / dried fish, some fried anchovies will taste great too. Enjoy!

For the Red Chilli Chutney / Sambol

Add all the ingredients listed under the chutney to a small mixie jar except shallots. Pulse several times until the texture resembles a coarse paste. Finally add in the shallots and grind for a few seconds. The chutney should be coarse and rustic. Do not grind to a fine paste. The sambol is ready.

Notes

On grinding the kambu powder

We are looking for a coarse sandy consistency. Let the ground coarse mixture sit in the mixie for five minutes. The powder will become dry. But many times, when you feel the powder, it may be lumpy. The easiest way to remove the lumps is to grind / pulse again in mixie for just one time. This is a very important step. If you have lumps to begin with, your kambu soru will also be lumpy after its cooked. So make sure there are no lumps in the powder.

  • Author: Suguna Vinodh
  • Prep Time: 30m
  • Cook Time: 10m

Keywords: kambu soru

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