Goan Atwal | Methi Pez | Rice Fenugreek Porridge | Methi Chawal Kheer with detailed instructions and a video. Atwal is an authentic and traditional Goan kheer recipe. It is a very healthy and body healing sweet made from rice and fenugreek seeds. It is also called as ‘methi pez’ in Konkani. ‘Methi’ means fenugreek seeds in Konkani and ‘pez’ means porridge. Atwal is also referred to as ‘rice fenugreek porridge’ or ‘methi chawal kheer’.
As per Goan Hindu tradition, a baby is named on the 12th day after it is born. A naming ceremony with close relatives is held on this day. And ‘atwal’ is prepared first time as a dessert on this occasion specially for the new mother. Fenugreek seeds is known to have body healing properties. It also reduces body aches and pains. Fenugreek also helps increase breastmilk production in lactating women. Thus this miraculous healing sweet dish is prepared for the new mother on the 12th day post delivery to heal her body and aid in lactation. After the 12th day, this recipe is regularly consumed by new moms.
Fenugreek is anti-inflammatory and used for pain relief from body and muscle aches. It also helps to alleviate menstrual cramps. Due to the numerous health benefits of fenugreek, this recipe can be consumed by everyone. Everyone in my family has a sweet tooth. We love having a little bite of something sweet after weekend lunch. So I am inclined to prepare something that has some nutritional value. I also tend to prefer sweets having jaggery instead of sugar. Hence I love Goan dessert recipes. Most of these recipes use jaggery and coconut milk for sweetening. Nachni Satv and Atwal satisfy these criteria.
Remember, fenugreek is no substitute for medical advice and treatment and should be consumed only after consulting a doctor. Also fenugreek seeds should not be consumed by pregnant women. It can be eaten only after delivery.
Ingredients
- 1½ Tbsp fenugreek seeds (soaked for 4 hours)
- ⅔ cup rice (soaked for 4 hours)
- 1 cup coconut (fresh grated)
- ¾ cup jaggery (grated)
- ⅛ Tsp cardamom powder
- salt as per taste
Instructions
- Add coconut and 1 cup water to a mixer jar. Grind to a fine paste. Strain and squeeze the coconut paste to extract coconut milk.
- Add the coconut again to the mixer jar. Add 1 cup of water. Grind once again. Strain and squeeze the coconut to extract coconut milk. We need total 2 cups coconut milk for this recipe.
- Add the soaked rice and fenugreek seeds to a pan. Cook on high heat till both rice and fenugreek seeds are soft. Add water if the mixture dries up while cooking. Stir in between to avoid sticking to the pan.
- Once the rice and fenugreek seeds are soft, add jaggery. Stir well. Cook till all the jaggery melts.
- Add salt, coconut milk and cardamom powder. Mix well and bring it to a boil.
- Boil for 1 – 2 minutes and switch off the flame.
Tips & Tricks
- The recipe we shared is the traditional method of making atwal. Alternately, you can pressure cook the rice and fenugreek seeds to fasten the process.
- You can adjust the measure of jaggery depending on how sweet the jaggery is and the level of sweetness preferred.
- Do not boil the atwal for long after adding coconut milk because coconut milk will split.
- This recipe can be refrigerated and consumed for 2-3 days.
- Do not thicken the atwal too much before switching off the flame. It will gradually thicken as it cools down.