KANJI RECIPE AND BENEFITS – FERMENTED DRINK

I’m sure there are many of you who have heard of the very famous fermented drink kombucha. Well, most often kanji is called as the “Indian Kombucha” drink, but in fact it isn’t anything like kombucha.

Kanji is a traditional fermented and probiotic drink native to North India and is made using black carrots. But in the present day, many people often tweak the recipe and use red or orange carrots along with added beetroot to make this drink. Kanji is known to have multiple benefits to health, especially for the digestive system. Well, this article will tell you what the benefits of drinking kanji are, along with a recipe on how to make it!

What are the benefits of drinking kanji?

• Can help boost one’s immunity: Kanji is rich in antioxidants and can help the body fight diseases.
• Helpful to improve gut/digestive health: Since kanji is a probiotic drink, it can help aid digestion and improve gut health. It can help treat stomach problems like gastric, diarrhea, bloating, constipation etc.
• Can promote better skin health: This drink is loaded with antioxidants that can help keep the skin radiant and promote a healthy glow, while also reducing signs of ageing.
• Boosts one’s energy levels: This drink is known to rev up body metabolism and also boost one’s energy levels as it is rich in carbohydrates.
• Keeps heart health in check: Kanji helps reduce the bad cholesterol levels in the body and cleanses the blood that flows to and from the heart.
• Beneficial to the eyes: Since kanji contains carrots, that are rich in the compound Anthocyanin, it can help improve one’s’ vision/eyesight.
• Helps keep diabetes under control: Kanji can help slow down digestion and also lower the absorption of food, in turn stabilizing one’s blood sugar levels.
• Can keep cognitive conditions at bay: Kanji can help reduce the risk of developing neurological diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease and is also known to help treat these conditions.

How to make kanji at home?

Kanji Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 carrots
• 1 beetroot
• 1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
  (Or regular mustard seeds)
• 1 tsp black salt
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• ¼ tsp black pepper corns
• A pinch of turmeric powder
• A pinch of red chilli powder
• 1.5 litres Water

Method:

Wash the carrots and beetroot under running water to get rid of all the impurities. Then peel off the skin of the carrots and the beetroot and cut them into medium sized pieces (of around 2 to 3 inches in length) and set aside.

Then, into a mixer grinder grind all the dry ingredients mustard seeds, sesame seeds, pepper corns, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt. Let it become a fine powder.

Then into a jar, (a glass jar preferably), add in the chopped carrot and beetroot pieces and the ground spice powder. Mix it well and then add in the water and give it a stir.

Lastly, cover it with a dry cloth and fasten it with a rubber band and place this jar in a place with sufficient sunlight for around 4 to 5 days, so it will begin to ferment. In case you are placing the jar under direct sunlight, then you can start consuming it within 2 to 3 days. After 4 to 5 days, you can strain out the kanji and consume the drink, while the fermented carrot and beetroot pieces can be eaten too.