I remember asking for extras the first time I tried Thari Kanji. That was many years ago in Mumbai at one of my former colleague's house during an iftar. Saleema's family hails from Kozhikode; this light, sweetened drink has been a recurring feature in her family's iftar.
I was still new to Malabari cuisine at that point except for popular signatures like the Thalasseri biryani. This has changed after multiple visits over the past decade to Kozhikode, now one of my favourite food cities in India. I experienced a dejavu moment, a sense of nostalgia at the iftar promotion at the Grand Hyatt Kochi.
The second time in four years that I was at this hotel during the month of Ramadan and experienced their elaborate iftar; the first thing that I sampled was the Thari kanji. Saleema's family now lives in Abu Dhabi and just like many people in the Middle East who call Kozhikode home. They get very nostalgic about Thari Kanji.
For Saleema, this is an endearing childhood memory and reminds her of her late parents. She still breaks her Ramadan fast on many days with a glass of this mildly flavoured delicacy. The name itself is a tad misleading.
Although it's called thari kanji (kanji is the Malayalam word for porridge or gruel), this is not actually a porridge. I noticed quite a few diners at the Malabar Café at Grand Hyatt Kochi, break their fast with a few varieties of dates and a large glass of Thari Kanji. One of the diners told me how this rich drink can keep you going even for a c.
