Similar to Punjabi Kadhi, this Odia Dahi Kanji with Vegetable recipe from Odisha is even healthier and more nutritious. Made with root vegetables, this superfood is not only healthy but also immensely delicious. Enjoy a bowl of Dahi Kanji with piping hot rice on a hot summer day!!
A nutritional and digestive dish from Odisha made with root vegetables and yogurt. Rich with probiotic properties, this dish is offered to Lord Jagannath as part of the Chhapan Bhog!
If you ever visit Odisha, you must taste the chaplain bhog offered to Lord Jagannath as Mahaprasad. It’s amazing how an array of dishes are served to Lord Jagannath as a libation, Each dish is so very different than the other dish in taste, texture, and method of preparation. This Odia Kanji is a part of Mahaprasad.
WHAT IS ODIA DAHI KANJI
Traditionally, Kanji is made with fermented rice water and is a thousand-year-old traditional recipe from Odisha. In absence of leftover rice water (Torani), sour dahi or yogurt can be used to make kanji. In this recipe, I have used yogurt and some root vegetables to make Odisha Dahi Kanji with Vegetables.
This Kanjee or Kanji dish is one of the dishes of chappan bhog (56 dishes), offered to Lord Jagannath.
This simple and easy-to-digest dish is loaded with vitamins. Make and serve this digestive dish whenever you are craving simple soulful food.
WHAT IS THE TASTE OF ODIA KANJI
This yogurt-based kanji dish has a unique sour and spicy taste to it which comes from the yogurt. This authentic Odia dish is quite popular in all parts of Odisha. You can add or reduce the sour taste in this kanji recipe by adding or reducing the amount of sour curd/sour leftover rice water.
ABOUT ODIA KANJI RECIPE
Kanji is a rice water-based dish traditionally prepared in Odisha. Depending on how it is prepared, it is eaten as a porridge, soup, or curry. The primary preparation of Odia style Vegetable kanji is by overboiling the rice in water. Once the rice comes to a very mushy state, a bit of dahi or yogurt is added along with some besan or gram flour. At the end, a tempering or seasoning is added to the kanji.
KANJI WITH RICE WATER (TORANI) OR CURD?
There are mostly two variations of Odia kanji. In one, boiled rice is used as the base, and in the other gram flour (Besan) or rice flour is used.
WHAT INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE ODISHA KANJI RECIPE WITH VEGETABLES
For Kanji
- Raw cut vegetables like radish, ash gourd, okra, pumpkin, drumsticks. Any other locally grown green vegetables can also be used. I have used only the white radish here.
- Turmeric powder
- Green chilies
- Yogurt – Fresh yogurt is better but sour yogurt or curd will work wonderfully too
- Rice Flour
For Tempering or Seasoning (Chhunka) the Kanji
- Mustard Oil
- Curry Leaves
- Red Chilies
- Fenugreek powder or Hing
- Mustard Seeds
- Cumin Seeds
STEP BY STEP METHOD FOR MAKING KANJI
- Rinse, peel and chop the radish into batons or sticks with 1.5 to 2 inches length.
- In a deep pan, boil the radishes with water, salt, green chilies, rice flour and turmeric. Cook in low to medium heat till the radishes are cooked. Switch off the heat.
- In a separate container, mix curd, gram flour, turmeric and water. Mix well.
- Add the curd mixture to the boiled vegetates gradually while stirring continuously. Turn the heat to low and cook some more in low heat till the yogurt is cooked.
For Tadka/Tempering/Seasoning
- In a non-stick pan, heat oil.
- Once the oil is hot enough, add curry leaves, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and dry red chilies in hot oil.
- Add this tadka to the vegetable and curd mixture. Stir and slow cook for 5-10 minutes.
HOW TO ENJOY THE PROBIOTIC DISH
- With hot steaming rice
- As a bowl of soup
FREQENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
CAN I MAKE KANJI WITHOUT YOGURT/DAHI/CURD?
Yes, you can. To make Odisha-style pariba kanji, instead of using curd, use rice water instead. To add a sour taste, you can use some raw mango into it.
HOW CAN I MAKE TORANI OR FERMENTED RICE WATER KANJI
Collect the excess water after cooking rice. Dilute it with a cup of water. Drop in a piece of ambula in it and cover the vessel with a thin cloth. Let it stand overnight. Collect the rice water again on the next day. Dilute and allow 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.Repeat this process for 3-4 days. Once the torani starts to smell a bit pungent and taste sour, you can proceed to prepare the kanjee.
WHAT OTHER VEGETABLES CAN I USE IN THE KANJEE RECIPE
Traditionally, kanji is made with root vegetables. However you can add any green vegetable you like per your taste.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KANJI DRINK AND KANJI DISH
In Northen India, during Holi, a kanji drink is preprepared with water, carrots and other spices and its let out to ferment for days. This drink is very good for your gut health and loaded in vitamins. Similar to the kanji drink, Odisha kanji is made with fermented rice water (torani) and cooked vegetables. Instead of using it as a drink, the Vegetable kanji is used as a digestive drink.
OTHER ODIA DISHES
Chhena Poda Recipe with Ricotta Cheese
Chhena Malpua Recipe|Paneer Malpua Recipe
Khira Gaintha Pitha Recipe (Kheer Puli)
Aloo Chop Recipe (Oriya Style)
Odisha Dahi Kanji with Vegetable Recipe
Ingredients
FOR KANJI
- 2 White Radish
- 5 cups Water
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- 1 tbsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Rice Flour
- 1/2 cup Curd/Dahi/Yogurt
- 1 tsp Besan or gram flour
FOR TEMPERING THE KANJI
- 2 or 3 Crushed Garlic cloves
- 2 Dried Red chili
- 1 sprig Curry leaves
- 1 Tsp Cumin
- 1 Tsp Mustard seeds
- 1 Tsp Hing or Fenugreek seeds
- 2 tbsp Oil
For Garnishing
- 1 spring Fresh Coriander leaves
Instructions
1. Boil the vegetable with rice water for Kanji
- Cook the slices radishes with water, salt, turmeric and rice flour for 15/20 minutes.
- Boil the radishes till they are cooked.
- Lower the hear to low
2. Add sour yogurt
- Mix yogurt with 1 tsp besan or gram flour and 1/2 cup water
- Gradually add the yogurt mixture to the vegetable pot. Keep stirring continuously while adding the yogurt.
- Boil the yogurt and vegetable mixture on very low heat for another 10 minutes
- Switch off the flame
3. Temper the Kanji
- In a small non-stick pan, heat oil
- Once the oil is hot enough, add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, red chilies
- The mustard seeds will start to splutter and then add the crushed garlic cloves.
- Let the garlic cloves brown a bit (don't burn them). Once it starts to brown, add the curry leaves and cook for 1 minute.
- Pour the seasoning or Tadka or Chhunka onto the kanji pot. Switch on the flame again and cook the kanji for another 5 minutes on low heat.
