Gotu kola kanda

 

Gotu kola kanda

 

Gotu kola congee

The leafy green herb gotu kola is said to be helpful in treating many ailments, including arthritis and skin complaints. Here, it’s used in a nutritious breakfast drink, similar to a thick, soupy porridge.

• 200g (7oz) gotu kola (pennywort) (roughly half a bunch)
• 20 fresh curry leaves
• 2 garlic cloves
• 250ml (9oz/generous 1 cup) coconut milk
• 1 litre (35 fl oz/41/4 cups) water (250ml/9 fl oz/generous 1 cup for the gotu kola (pennywort), 750ml/25 fl oz/generous 3 cups for the rice)
• 100g (31/2oz/1/2 cup) brown rice
• salt

1. Wash the gotu kola and roughly chop the leaves and stems. Wash and roughly chop the curry leaves as well.
2. Put the gotu kola, curry leaves, garlic, coconut milk and 250ml of the water into a blender. Blitz to purée, then strain the liquid into a medium bowl. Squeeze the pulp left in the sieve to extract the remainder of the liquid, then discard the pulp. 
3. Put the rice in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Swirl the rice around to wash it, drain and repeat at least twice until the water is clear. Then, add the remaining 750ml of water and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and simmer, uncovered, for 12–15 minutes until soft. There should be some liquid left in the pan. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.
4. Then, put the rice into a blender and blitz until you have a smooth liquid. Pour the liquid congee into a medium saucepan, add the blended gotu kola and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down low and simmer for 5 minutes. Keep stirring frequently to prevent the liquid from curdling.
5. Season with salt and take off the heat. Serve hot.