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Torani Kanji

A warm, nourishing soup made with rice water fermented in clay pots, or torani, and winter vegetables. Torani Kanji is a probiotic-rich winter favourite in Odisha. It warms and helps boost the digestive fire that typically weakens in the colder months.
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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.