Virji: A Simple One-Pot Chicken and Rice Dish That Tastes Like Home

My son moved to Germany to pursue his PhD. He asked me for recipes for simple food that is easy to prepare and doesn't require too much effort, because he is very busy but still wants to eat food that tastes like home.

While I was putting together a list of recipes for him, I remembered this dish. It is really easy to make, everything goes into one pot, and within half an hour you have a complete meal ready.

I remembered that the dish was called Virji, but I wasn't completely sure. I asked my mother-in-law, and she remembered that she used to make it when her children were young. It was an easy solution for working mothers who needed to quickly prepare a meal for their children coming home from school.

My mother used to make it sometimes on Saturdays too.

I tried searching online for the exact name but couldn't find anything similar. Then, with the help of ChatGPT, I managed to trace the origin of the name. It turns out that the original name is Manja Birinji, meaning seasoned yellow rice. It is very similar to biryani, but much more delicate in flavor, with mild seasoning, and is characteristic of the Malabar Jewish community.

Many ethnic communities have their own versions of one-pot rice and chicken dishes. There is a historical hint here of Arab influence alongside local traditions. Trade connections with Arab merchants probably influenced the cuisine that developed through a combination of local Kerala ingredients and traditions and those of the Malabar Jews. This may also explain the similarities between the names.

It is quite possible that the name Virji is a variation of the original name, as we see with many other traditional dishes. The pronunciation of the original name gradually blended into the local Hebrew accent and went through its own linguistic evolution within the Israeli melting pot.

The exact recipe also changed from one family to another. Some families made it as simply and basically as possible, with very mild seasoning, while others added different ingredients to enrich the dish.

I am sharing a slightly upgraded version, with peanuts, raisins, and curry leaves that I picked from my garden. Of course, none of these are essential, and the dish will still be delicious and comforting without them.

Prepare a fresh vegetable salad while the rice is cooking, and within half an hour you have a nutritious and delicious meal ready.

My version

The version I make today is slightly richer than the very simple dish I remember.

I add peanuts, raisins and fresh curry leaves, which I pick straight from my garden. They add a little sweetness, crunch and wonderful fragrance.

But they are completely optional.

Without them, this is still exactly what the dish is supposed to be: simple, warm, comforting food that tastes like home.

While the rice is cooking, chop a fresh vegetable salad on the side.

Thirty minutes later, dinner is ready.

And maybe this is why recipes like Virji survive.

My mother cooked it for us mother-in-law cooked it for her children.And now I am sending the recipe to my son in Germany.

Sometimes a simple pot of chicken and rice carries much more than dinner.

It carries home with it.

Ingredients

• 300 g (10½ oz) chicken breast, cut into cubes

• 1 onion, sliced

• ¼ cup raisins

• ¼ cup shelled peanuts

• Curry leaves from 2 small sprigs

• 1 tsp salt

• ¼ tsp turmeric

• ¼ tsp ground ginger

• A little oil, for sautéing

• 1 cup basmati rice, rinsed thoroughly

• 1½ cups water

Method

1. Heat a little oil in a wide pot over medium heat.

2. Add the sliced onion and sauté until golden.

3. Add the chicken cubes and sauté for a few minutes, until lightly cooked on the outside.

4. Add the salt, turmeric and ground ginger, followed by the curry leaves, raisins and peanuts. Stir well.

5. Add the rinsed basmati rice and gently mix everything together.

6. Pour in 1½ cups of water and bring to a boil.

7. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to very low, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender and has absorbed the liquid.

8. Turn off the heat and leave the pot covered for another 5 minutes.

9. Gently fluff the rice and serve hot with a finely chopped fresh vegetable salad.

Simple, comforting, and ready in about half an hour.

Sometimes, that is all we need from a recipe.