Kanji

• Black carrots (kali gajar) · or red carrots plus 1 small beetroot250 g
• Water · boiled and cooled1.25 litres
• Black or yellow mustard seeds · coarsely ground1 1/2 tbsp
• Salt1 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli powder1/2 tsp
• Black salt1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida (hing)1 pinch

Method

1. 1

   Scrub and peel the carrots and cut into finger-length sticks about 1 cm thick. If using red carrots, peel and cut the beetroot the same way for colour.

2. 2

   Put the carrots in a clean, dry glass jar. Add mustard, salt, chilli powder, black salt and hing, then pour in the cooled boiled water. Stir with a clean dry spoon.

3. 3

   Cover with a muslin cloth tied with string and leave the jar in a sunny spot (or a warm kitchen corner) for 3 days, stirring once each day with a dry spoon.

4. 4

   Taste on day 3: it should be sour and tangy with a mustard kick. If not sour enough, give it one more day. Once ready, move it to the fridge to stop the fermentation.

5. 5

   Serve chilled in small glasses with a few carrot sticks in each.

Tips

• Everything that touches the kanji must be dry and clean; any water or oil on the spoon can spoil the batch.
• In a cold winter the fermentation can take 5 to 6 days; warmth speeds it up.
• A film of white on top is normal yeast; skim it off. Any fuzzy green or black growth means throw the batch away.

Swaps

• Add 1 small beetroot in sticks even with black carrots for a deeper colour and slightly sweeter taste.

Storage

Keeps 7 to 10 days in the fridge; it gets more sour each day.