Beetroot Kanji- A Probiotic Drink

Kanji is made with water, black carrots, beetroot, mustard seeds and hing. It is a probiotic drink, which offers numerous benefits, including better digestion, immunity booster, reduced inflammation, and weight management. By including Kanji water in your daily routine, you can enjoy a healthier gut and an improved quality of life. It is like Indian kombucha but very different taste.

Famous Nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar also referred this miracle drink for better gut health. How can one not try after hearing so many health benefit? I checked out many recipes. I have tried Kanji vada which is traditional Rajasthani dish where moong vada dipped in kanji. Basically Kanji is a drink prepared using ground mustard fermented in water for 3-4 days. It is also served in certain part of India during Holi (festival of colour) celebration.

Only drink 1/4 glass at a time. Just be cautious if you are suffering from ulcer or high BP.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: No cooking but can take 3-4 days for fermentation

Ingredients:
1 big or 2 small beetroot
1 tsp yellow split or whole mustard
1/4 tsp asafetida
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red chili powder (optional)
1 liter water
Big clean wide mouth glass bottle
Cotton or Muslin cloth

Procedure:

1. Wash and remove skin of beetroot. Cut in small bite size pieces.

2. Grind yellow mustard coarsely

3. In a glass bottle, add beet slices, ground mustard (rai), asafetida (hing), salt, chili powder and water. Mix well.

4. Cover the top of the bottle with muslin cloth and put rubber band around neck to secure.

5. Leave this in the sunny area of the house. Make sure to stir this every morning.

6. On day 3 or 4 you will see the water starts to ferment and fizzy with little bubbles on the top. Since it is cold and not so sunny here in Canada, it took 4-5 days to ferment.

7. Once kanji is ready, enjoy 1/4 small glass in the morning. It will taste slightly sour from fermentation. You can store in the fridge. You can also eat beetroot pieces, they taste like a pickle.