“We also grew Pejiya chokha, a rice variety fit to make Pej or Pejiyu. Pejiya, Hariya, and Futiya were the rices preferred to make Pej. These varieties had shorter growing cycles, making them easily digestible. Sadly, we don’t grow them anymore!” Devjubhai Bagule mentioned in a conversation during my first maiden trip to Dangs to find the native rice of Gujarat. In 2019, the food and rice names were all foreign to me. I had never heard of so many local rice varieties, nor did I know of the foods cooked with them.
Pej, pejiyu, dhachn, dhachli, dagchu are the many names of thinned rice porridge prevalent amongst the tribal communities in South Gujarat. Consumed in sickness and health, abundance, and scarcity, this rice soup or porridge is an all-weather friend. It is different from ghesh in texture–ghesh is pudding-like and pejiyu is soup like in consistency–and can be had sweet or savoury.
“When the crops failed, and little rice had to be stretched further to feed many hungry bellies, Pejiyu came to the rescue as it does when served to a person recovering from illness and needing to be fed easily digestible food!” I recollect community elders sharing such fascinating facts of this humble preparation. Dhachlu also becomes breakfast soup when family members have a bowl before setting out to work on farms. The rice varieties best suited for it are the ones that are dense in starch as they help lubricate the joints, revitalize the body, and are easy to digest. It can be eaten savoury with a dash of salt, pickle, chutney, or sweet with a sprinkle of jaggery or sugar.
The pejiyu featured here is made using the kada, a red rice variety from Gujarat. It is slow-cooked in water with buttermilk added at the end of the cook. Just before serving, a spoonful of panichu (a mango+karonda pickle that ferments in its juices, made by the tribal communities of south Gujarat) is added to the pejiyu. The tribal communities have always hand pounded the rice, pejiyu was made using the broken bits of rice as they cooked and turned mushy faster. Any soft grained easily digestible rice can be used to make pejiyu.
Pejiyu and Panichu are foods eaten when recovering from an ailment. They are designed to nourish and awaken the taste buds.
Pejiyu
Ingredients
- ½ cup Kada rice (broken rice works better)
- 5-6 cups water, or more if required
- 1 cup buttermilk, optional
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash and soak the rice for 2-3 hours if possible.
- In large saucepan or earthen pongal pot bring the water to a boil. Add the soaked rice and salt.
- Allow it to cook on a slow flame, keep stirring at regular interval, vigorously at times so that the rice breaks and become mushy. If the rice takes time to cook add a cup of warm water at a time.
- Continue to cook the rice till it acquires creamy smooth homogenous texture. The consistency of Pejiyu should be like soup, neither too thick nor thin. If you wish to add buttermilk, adjust the amount of water accordingly. Add the buttermilk at the end of the cook, and simmer the Pejiyu for few minutes.
- Remove from fire and serve hot with condiments and toppings of choice. If you prefer a sweet version omit salt and add jaggery to hot Pejiyu.
