Pej

Introduction
Pej is the simplest rice recipe prepared using Goan parboiled rice (Ukdetandul). It is source of iron and calcium and it also has fewer calories, fewer carbohydrates, more fiber, and more protein compared to white rice. Traditionally it is cooked in a clay pot (modko)overa clay stove (chullas) and served hot in a clay bowl with a spoon made from the hard coconut shell. Tribal people growtheir crops and make rice to sustain their life. Pej is a significant dish in the community and it’s very healthy and delicious.

Additional Information
To prepare it, you need to first collect rice,wash and soak it in plenty of water. Then, cook the rice till it becomes very tender. It is slow-cooked as it is parboiled rice and thick-grained. The cooked rice grains do not disintegrate and become mushy in the gruel but retain a slightly firm texture. The gruel does not contain too much starch as the rice grains are unpolished. The cooked rice along with water is calledpej, whileinother states, it is called kanjee/kanji/kangee/canji/conjee/congee. It is quite popular in Asian countries and is known by different names and/orspelled and pronounced differently in various states of India. It is a great comfort food. Many a times, babies are fed pez as their first solid food. It is also given to persons recuperating from illness, especially from fever and cold. In Goa, the village people eat their hot bowl of pez between 10 am to 11 am. Some Goan families also like to relish it in the evenings, before dinner time. Pej is bland and tasteless by itself, so it is enjoyed with various accompaniments (tondak). Goans love it with korom(sliced raw mango), chepnichi torra(raw mango water pickle), spicy pickles,and especially popular with kalchi kodi(leftover fish).