A 24-carrot drink

     The colour purple: The fermented tangy concoction that once found pride of place on Punjab's kitchen shelves is losing appeal Good things don't come in tetra-packages. They are made at home, stored in earthen pots and sipped in the all-embracing sun of a retiring winter. 
     And one such good thing is kanji, the deep purple drink of Punjab that can make a glass of red wine look pale. It can be called the size-zero restorative, as it has no cholesterol and can work wonders for your gut. But this flavoursome drink is losing out to the new-age bever ages. It is made from purple carrots (also called black carrots) that were earlier found with all greengrocers, but now occupy few stalls as there are not many takers. The humble concoction, which is enjoyed in the winter up to the spring, is a pro-biotic that makes the gut flora richer.

For cooking shows' host Harpal Singh Sokhi, the colour is redolent of childhood. "As a kid, I would spend my summer and winter holidays in Punjab. And these vacations meant great food. My grandmother would prepare kali gajjar ki kanji, as the freezing season bid adieu. My job was to keep the glass jar out in the sun every day and bring it back to a dark room at night. After a few days of natural fermentation, we enjoyed the sour, tangy drink. The carrots pickled after maturing. The flavour of mustard in it was amazing. I simply loved it."

It is also associated with the festive mood. "We would prepare it around Holi. All visitors were treated to the tangy, purple quencher. It was apt for the festival of colours. Not many urban homes prepare it these days. And that explains why the purple carrots are less in supply," says Amrit Tulsi, a homemaker in Zirakpur.
Back in the day, almost every house made this easy-as-pie beverage. 
     "I got the recipe from my mother when I was in college.Though it is quite simple, initially we erred and added more chillies or salt. One must keep in mind the salt quantity," she adds. Time has evaporated the modest drink's popularity, but Tulsi says it can regain the lost ground by word of mouth. "Friends and neighbours can learn from each other. The media, too, can highlight its place in the sun."

Offering a nugget of advice, she says the utensil in which you store it is of utmost importance. "Use either earthenware or a glass jar."

KNOW YOUR CARROTS

    Black or purple carrots are grown and consumed in Turkey, Afghanistan, Egypt, Pakistan and India.

These have more beta carotene than the orange ones.
They get their pigment from anthocyanins, which are powerful antioxidants that check heart disease by slowing blood clotting and have antiinflammatory properties, making them a useful food for arthritics.

They have antiviral and antimicrobial properties, besides fight carcinogens

CHEF'S RECIPE

Chatpati' is how celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor defines it. "Delhi is my home and I have fond memories of the food I grew up on. Kanji is one of them," he says as he shares his recipe with our readers

KANJI

Ingredients: 
4 large black carrots (kale gajjar), 
4 tablespoons mustard seeds, 
coarsely powdered 3 tablespoons,
 salt 1½ tablespoons, 
coarsely ground red chilli powder

METHOD

• Scrub carrots and wash under running water. Peel and cut into thick sticks or fingers.

• Take a large jar or clay pot (matka), with a capacity of four litres, and pour 18 cups of water into it. Add carrots, mustard powder, salt and red chilli powder and stir well.

• Cover the mouth of the pot with a muslin cloth and tie it around the rim.

• Stand the pot in the sun for three to four days, bringing it indoors at sunset.

• At the end of four days, pour the contents of the jar into a jug and chill in the refrigerator.