🧑‍🎤 Talk Boosters – Day 26: "How do you prepare kanji and chammanthi?"

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9 Jun, 2025

🧑‍🎤 Talk Boosters – Day 26:

“How do you prepare kanji and chammanthi?”

🧑‍🏫 Instructions for Students:

Speak for 3–5 minutes about how you prepare kanji and chammanthi, a simple and traditional meal from Kerala.
Describe each step clearly as if you’re teaching someone who has never made it before. Try to include:

What ingredients are needed
How much water, rice, coconut, etc.
Step-by-step preparation of kanji
Step-by-step preparation of chammanthi
Who usually prepares it at home
Why you love this dish
When do you usually eat it

🗂️ Try to use sequencing words like:
👉 First... Then... After that... Next... Finally...

🧠 Use descriptive cooking and food words like:
boil, grind, roast, stir, pour, soft, thick, watery, spicy, tangy, refreshing, comforting, traditional, homemade, family recipe, healthy, simple, light, warm.

🗣️ Example Starter:

“Today, I’m going to talk about how to prepare one of my favourite comfort foods — kanji and chammanthi.
First, let me tell you about kanji. It’s a simple rice porridge that we eat when we want something light and healthy.
To make kanji, I usually take half a cup of raw rice and wash it well. Then I add three to four cups of water and a bit of salt, and boil it until the rice is soft and mushy.

Next comes chammanthi. For that, we take grated coconut, green chillies, shallots, ginger, and salt. We grind it together, sometimes with a bit of tamarind or curry leaves.

After that, we serve hot kanji with the spicy chammanthi on the side.
Finally, this food reminds me of home, rainy days, and simple joy. My grandmother makes it best. It’s not just food — it’s a feeling.”

❓ Follow-up Questions for Discussion (15):

1️⃣ What ingredients do you need to make kanji?
2️⃣ How do you prepare the rice for kanji?
3️⃣ Do you prefer it thick or watery? Why?
4️⃣ What makes chammanthi tasty in your opinion?
5️⃣ What are the main ingredients in chammanthi?
6️⃣ Who taught you how to prepare this dish?
7️⃣ When do you usually eat kanji and chammanthi?
8️⃣ Is this dish common in your home?
9️⃣ Do you think it’s healthy? Why or why not?
🔟 How do you feel after eating it?
1️⃣1️⃣ Have you ever made it by yourself?
1️⃣2️⃣ What variations have you seen in preparing kanji or chammanthi?
1️⃣3️⃣ Do you eat anything else with it (like pappad, pickle, or payar)?
1️⃣4️⃣ Would you recommend this dish to someone from another state or country? Why?
1️⃣5️⃣ What memories come to your mind when you think of this food?

✅ Translations:

Kanji = Rice porridge (more natural in modern English)
(“Rice gruel” is also correct, but sounds outdated or clinical)

Chammanthi = Chutney (specifically, coconut chutney in most cases)

Malayalam sentence:

"കഞ്ഞിയും ചമ്മന്തിയും ഉണ്ടാക്കുന്നതെങ്ങിനെ?"

Natural Translation:

"How do you make rice porridge and chutney?"

Culturally Specific Translation:

"How do you make kanji and chammanthi?" (for audiences familiar with Kerala cuisine)

SPEECH SAMPLE

“ Good morning everyone,

Today, I’d like to share how to prepare a simple and comforting Kerala meal — kanji and chammanthi. It’s something I really love, especially on quiet evenings or rainy days.

To make kanji, I usually take half a cup of raw rice — preferably Kerala red rice, but white rice works too. I wash it well two or three times until the water runs clear. Then I add about four to five cups of water to it, depending on how thick or watery I want the porridge. A pinch of salt is added, and I place it on the stove. Once it starts boiling, I reduce the flame and let it simmer slowly. I keep stirring in between so that the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom. After about 30 to 40 minutes, the rice becomes soft and breaks apart slightly. At this stage, the kanji is ready. It should look creamy and smooth but still light on the stomach.

Along with that, I prepare chammanthi — a kind of dry coconut chutney. For that, I take a handful of grated coconut, a few small onions or shallots, one or two green chillies, a small piece of ginger, and a bit of salt. Sometimes I add a little tamarind or curry leaves to bring out the flavour. All of this is ground together coarsely, either in a traditional grinding stone or in a mixer without adding water — just enough to bring it together.

Once both are ready, I serve the hot kanji in a big bowl and place a small ball of spicy chammanthi on a side plate. The soft, plain kanji and the fiery chammanthi make a perfect match. Some people also enjoy it with pappadam or green gram curry, but I like it simple.

This dish always reminds me of my grandmother. She makes it with so much care and love. Her chammanthi has a unique taste that I can never recreate. And every time I eat this meal, I feel peaceful and close to home. It’s not a fancy dish, but it’s full of warmth and memories.

Thank you! ”