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Kanji and kali can begin with similar grains, but they are not the same preparation. The distinction is largely one of texture, water, and the way the finished grain is served.

Kanji is the liquid form

Kanji is a porridge or gruel. It may be made with ragi, wheat, rice, oats, or other millet and grain flours. Salted versions can use buttermilk, while sweet versions may use coconut milk or jaggery. The defining feature is the looser, spoonable or drinkable consistency.

Kali is the thicker form

Kali is cooked into a paste-like mass. Depending on the grain and recipe, it can be shaped into balls or served as a thick mound. It is commonly paired with cooked vegetables, curd, dal, or sambar.

The same pantry can move between both

Pearl millet, corn, foxtail millet, kodo millet, little millet, wheat, oats, and rice can all serve as bases. That makes kanji and kali useful as texture categories rather than recipes tied to only one grain: more water and a looser finish move toward kanji; a thicker cooked paste moves toward kali.