Winters are incomplete without a mention of the Torani Kanji. One needs to plan well in advance to prepare this dish. Water discarded from cooked rice is collected over days and stored in an earthenware pot, which allows it to ferment and develop a sour taste. It is a technical process wherein we retain half of the previous day’s rice water and mix it with the current day’s lot after the latter has been cooled and diluted. It is a slow and elaborate process which is worth the wait. I still get nostalgic remembering the large pots in which my grandmother used to brew and simmer this thing. It has a strong aroma (more like pungent) that is sure to tickle the olfactory ducts of the neighbours. Hence, the generous quantity in which it is prepared.
While one can enjoy various kinds of Kanji all around the year, the abundance of vegetables and leafy greens during the winter months adds a wholesome quality to it. There is something very soothing about sipping Kanji from a big bowl while enjoying the wintry sun. So, here is the recipe for the Torani Kanjee which I got to learn from my mother, but only after a lot of advice and deliberation. “Keep the torani carefully covered,” “Do not let it become too stale and smelly,” “Remember to throw away half of the previous lot when you mix in the fresh one,” and so on. I guess it is ingrained in a mother’s psyche to keep the advice coming even after we have grown up. I still get it every time I mention making this particular dish at home.
From the section on “Margasira” [November-December] Sweta Biswal, Beyond Dalma: A holistic foray into Odia Food. Notion Press, 2023.
Torani Kanji
Ingredients
- 2-3 litres of torani, or rice cooking water
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 cup radish slices
- 1/2 cup pumpkin pieces
- 1/4 cup green papaya slices
- 1 small eggplant cut into semi-circles
- 6-7 okra cut into inch-long pieces
- 1 ripe cucumber or budha kakudi cut into thick circles
- 3-4 pieces of ambula or dried green mango
- 1 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
For the tempering
- 3 tsp mustard oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 2 pinch nigella seeds
- 4-5 dry red chilli
- 10-12 fat garlic cloves
- 2 sprigs of curry leaves
Instructions
For the Torani
- Day 1: Cook rice using the boil-and-strain method and collect the kanji. Dilute it with a cup of water. Drop in a piece of ambula and cover the vessel with a thin cloth. Let it stand overnight.
- Day 2: Again, collect the rice water on the next day. Dilute with another cup of water and allow it to cool down completely. Throw away half of the previous day’s rice water along with the ambula. Add the fresh lot along with another fresh piece of ambula. Let it stand overnight.
- Day 3-4: Repeat this process for 3-4 days. Once the torani starts to smell pungent and develops a sour taste, we can proceed to make the kanji.
For the Kanji
- Dilute the torani with 2-3 cups water and transfer to a deep saucepan. Add salt to taste and a bit of turmeric. Bring it to a full boil. One needs to be cautious as it tends to rise and come out of the vessel pretty fast, thanks to starch content.
- Add the chopped vegetables to the boiling torani. Let it boil on a medium flame until all the vegetables are cooked.
- Check for salt and sourness. If it lacks enough tang, drop in 1-2 pieces of ambula.
For the tempering
- Heat the mustard oil in a tempering pan. Once it starts to smoke, reduce the heat. Add the broken chillis, mustard and nigella seeds.
- Quickly follow with the crushed garlic and curry leaves. Once the garlic turns slightly brown on the edges, pour the contents of the tempering pan over the boiling kanji and cover with a lid.
- Remove from the flame and serve hot or at room temperature.
- Torani kanji keeps for 2-3 days in the fridge. Remember to bring it to room temperature before consuming.
