Name: KANJI recipe by Minakhi Behera at BetterButter
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Torani 1 and 1/2 ltr; Half cup raw rice soaked; Half cup cooked rice; Tomatoes 10 to 15 full ripen and red in color are preffereble; Panch phoron; Garlic one whole big; Dry red chili 4; Salt; Curry leaves 3 sprigs; Haldi 1 1/2 tbsp; Hing a pinch; Saag prefferebly Lali saag or onion saag; One Brinjle 6 to 8 lady finger one muli

ABOUT KANJI RECIPE

This is a signature dish of odissa like rasam and sambar of south india. Delicious dish eaten with rice mainly at lunchtime. In winter availability of different veggies make this more yummier. You can use curd or dried mango also in this recipe. The authentic recipe requires Torani which is prepared in summer days in every house hold of Odissa. I'm giving here the authentic recipe as well the recipe without Torani. Try which one is convenient.

Instructions

To make TORANI :
Cook rice in conventional method and drain the rice water to a clean bowl. This is called Peja in Odissa.
Let this cool a bit. Take 2 cup of this peja and add 2 cups water. Add 1 cup cooked rice and mix by hand.
Keep this covered overnight for fermentation.
Next day taste the water for sour ness. This should be sour but the rice should be fresh not very stale.
If not sour keep for one more day. Keep at a worm place to enhance fermentation.
Your torani is ready. This water is very healthy and keeps your body cool in hot summer days.
Now for kanji take the torani with rice. Mash the rice within it. Pour into a heavy bottom pan. Blend the soaked rice into very coarse paste.
Grind the tomatoes to paste without water.
Chop the greens. Chop the veggies into big size chunks.
Note that the greens and veggies are purely of your choice. You can add or delete any of them. I have mentioned basic veggies that go well with the recipe.
If your rice water is too sour adjust the amount of tomatoes accordingly. If needed dilute with water till reqired sourness is achieved.
Now place the pan with rice water on heat. Add rice paste and steer continuously. Otherwise it will stick to bottom and burn.
Add haldi and veggies and greens.
Steer for some times till veggies are tender. Add tomato paste mix well. Check for consistency.
If it becomes thick use hot water or freshly discarded rice water (Peja.mentioned above.) consistency should be not thick nor too thin.
Add salt.
Keep the flame low to medium. Keep steering. Boil for some time till rawness of tomatoes goes.
Now remove from heat .
Heat a tadka pan add 3 Tbsp mustard oil. When hot add 1 tbsp panchphoron and dry chili. Crush the garlic pods and add. Fry little till the garlic are light brown. Add hing and curry leaves.
Add this tadka to the Kanji pot and cover.
Serve warm with rice,Spicy fish fry or potato wedges fry.

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