Rice Kanji with step by step photos and short video. Rice kanji is a natural homemade probiotics made with rice , water and homemade curds. This one is good old traditional recipe used by our older generations to keep a healthy gut. This tastes very similar to curd rice and making also is almost same but the main difference with Rice kanji and regular curd rice is the fermentation of cooked rice. To make rice kanji , cooked rice needs to soaked overnight preferably in a clay pot. After 12 hours of fermentation , you can eat 2-3 Tbsp of rice as first thing in the morning , to improve gut health. Further adding homemade curds ,even increases the good bacteria's.
But I make this rice kanji similar to curd rice. Soak cooked rice over night in some water , next day blend it in a mixer , add home made curds and temper with coconut oil . A delicious bowl of homemade , natural probiotics will be ready without spending hundreds to thousands of money on store brought probiotics. Indian traditional food and ancestral knowledge on food science with varieties of spices , herbs and food says lot about health . They had medicine in every food and techniques used for cooking was straight and simple , which needs to be digged out for our better health.
As I am from Mysore , South India , my knowledge about food is more inclined with South Indian Dishes and at home we do follow the practices of our older generations. This rice kanji recipe was followed by my grand mother , who used to soak cooked rice in clay pots. As clay pots were the only utensils available at that time to use on wood fire in villages. On the following day , she used to mash rice well with hands , add some curds , onions and served this for breakfast .
I hardly remember anything as I was very young and used to visit only during summer holidays , but my Mom often says this hence I'm narrating the same 🙂 . Even today I prefer eating this if I feel discomfort on stomach. I prefer to have a cup of Rice Kanji , with a pickle and some stir fry veggies for my mid day meals , lunch for the day will be sorted : ) . My comfort food with all good bacteria's 🙂
Recently I had put one of my client on a colon cleanse diet and asked her eat lots of probiotics, fiber rich and gluten free food during the period. So I gave her this recipe and she asked me for a video 🙂 🙂 🙂 , hence I thought to make a post of this as it would be beneficial for those who aren't aware of this inexpensive natural homemade probiotics.
What are Probiotics and why is it important ?
Probiotics are foods that contain healthy bacteria . These bacteria's are live microorganisms that helps in promoting a healthy digestive tract and a healthy immune system. Many problems like indigestion , bloating , leaky guts and poor immune system occurs when the ratio of bad microorganisms overpowers the good microorganisms in the human body. . In the digestive tract , bad bacteria's are fed with refined carbohydrates , while the prebiotics, feed the good bacterias and thus help in balancing a good gut microflora. This process makes vitamins and minerals much more bioavailable in the body. Hence adding probiotics to diet is very important. If interested, read more about probiotics here.
RECIPE CARD FOR RICE KANJI | HOMEMADE PROBIOTICS
Rice Kanji | Homemade Probiotics
Ingredients
- ½ cup cooked Rice
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup curds , homemade
- ¾ tsp salt or as required
- 1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves , chopped
To Temper
- ½ tbsp coconut oil
- ¼ tsp mustard seeds
- ¼ tsp jeera / cumin Seeds
- ½ tsp urad dal / split black gram
- 1 tsp curry leaves ,finely chopped
- ½ tsp green chilies , chopped
- 4 tbsp onion ,finely chopped
- 1 tsp ginger , grated
- ½ tsp Asafoetida / Hing
Instructions
- Soak ½ cup cooked rice in ½ cup water in a clay pot for about 10-12 hours or overnight.
- Next day , transfer fermented rice to a blender and blend to smooth paste.
- Transfer blended rice into a mixing bowl.
- Whisk ¼ cup of homemade curds and add to rice paste and stir well. Preferably add slightly sour curds as it tastes more good.
- Now add salt to taste and mix well.
To temper
- In a season pan / tadka pan , heat coconut oil , add mustard seeds ,jeera seeds , urad dal , chopped curry leaves , choppeds green chillies and fry well.
- Add chopped onions and fry till it turns light brown .Turn off the stove
- Now add in grated ginger , hing and mix well.
- Pour temper over the prepared rice kanji.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve.
Video
Notes
- Clay pot is used for fermentation , as science says it provides micro-oxygenation, including enzymatic reactions for producing unique flavors. If you don't have clay pot , you can use steel or glass vessel but clay pot is recommended.
- Fermented rice needs to be mashed well , you can either squeeze with clean hands or use fork or blend in a mixer.
- Use slightly sour curds , it adds more taste to rice kanji.
- Tempering with coconut oil adds lots of flavor and tastes really good.
- You can use any type of cooked rice , best way to use left out rice.
Step by Step directions to make Rice Kanji
Soak ½ cup cooked rice in ½ cup water in a clay pot for about 10-12 hours or overnight.
Next day , transfer fermented rice to a blender , add salt to taste and blend to smooth paste.
Transfer blended rice into a mixing bowl.
Whisk ¼ cup of homemade curds and add to rice paste , stir well. Preferably add slightly sour curds as it tastes more good. Stir well and keep aside .
To temper
In a season pan / tadka pan , heat coconut oil , add mustard seeds , jeera seeds , urad dal , chopped curry leaves , choppeds green chillies and fry well.
Add chopped onions and fry till it turns light brown .Turn off the stove
Now add in grated ginger , hing and mix well.
Pour temper over the prepared rice kanji.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves .
Serve.
hi, i ve got 2 questions here 1) wont by adding salt we will be destroying the nutrients or probiotic bacteria.
2) is it that by adding tadka to the rice and curd mixture changes the properties of curd from cold to hold.
Hi, Well for your 1 question , Adding pinch of rock salt will not destroy the nutrients. If adding , table salt in higher portion,then Yes it does. Infact high salt diets have been shown to reduce the numbers of Lactobacillus bacteria species , hence table salt is not added. Coming to your 2nd question , According to Ayurveda, ginger is heating to the body. Here it perfectly balances the coolness of the curds. As Ginger speed up emptying of the stomach, it can be beneficial here for people with indigestion or any related issues. Since this Rice Kanji recipe is a part of my Colon Cleanse Indian Diet , I prefer it this way making it more palatable. If using Rice Kanji everyday on empty stomach , 2 tbsp of of clay pot fermented rice with Tbsp of curds and pinch of rock salt would be sufficient. Hope this helps , Thank You.
Hi,
Could you please let us know which type of rice to use for this kanji ? Also, how to cook that rice ? Straining method or pressure cook them ?
Thanks
Hi Divya , pressure cooking rice is better because in straining method nutrients will be lost. White rice : sona masoori , indrayani ,kolam any regular rice is fine . Thank you
Thank you for your reply Muktha ! Sorry one more question, Do you need to add salt will cooking the rice ?
Welcome Divya , No never do that ,no salt while cooking rice
Hey Divya , you are most welcome. No , never add salt while cooking rice . Especially in probiotics its BIG NO.
Thank you…I will be trying this recipe to give it to my kids..Can you make it big batch and store in the fridge ? Or do we make fresh batch everyday ?
Hi Divya ,
Though refrigerating should be okay ,I wouldnt recommend. If giving for kids early in the morning as a probiotic food, then just 2 tbsp of overnight soaked rice should be fine.Tempering is also not required.
Thank you Mukta :)…sorry for so many questions..what kinda taste I should look for ? Will it be sour ?
Welcome Divya 🙂 Its absolutely fine for any questions . Tastes very similar to curd rice , if soaking in clay pot you may get a hint of that typical earthen flavour ...., which I personally loved it. Orelse it is just like white rice mixed with curds ......, seasoning imparts flavour. For everyday use as a probiotic, just 2 tbsp of rice without any seasoning on empty stomach , should be absolutely fine
Namaskarm,
Thankyou for the recipe. Isn’t coconut oil antibacterial ? Can it kill the probiotic bacteria ?
Namaskara ,
Studies and researches says that virgin coconut oil rich in lauric acid have high antimicrobial activity against pathogenic bacteria that modulate intestinal health when compared with low antimibrobial activities against commensal lactic acid bacteria ( good gut health bacterias) . Its said that its antimicrobial properties kills bacterias with lipid coatings ( bad bacteria) and is not effective on bacterias without lipid coatings (gut health bacterias doesnt have any lipid coatings). Thank you
Do I have to eat this first thing in the morning in an empty stomach for maximum effectiveness? Or can I eat it for lunch/dinner?
First thing in the morning on empty stomach , just 2 tbsp is sufficient. Just fermented rice with homemade curds is enough .No need to temper also .
I'm having some digestive disorders. I thought to make kanji, and I found your site, which is so very good.
I usually go every year to a tiny village in Kerala for ayurvedic panchakarma. But, well, you know what happened.
I miss India very much and all my friends there, from West Bengal to Kerala and in between.
All good wishes to you.
Thank you for stopping by. That's great to hear that you often visit to Kerala for your Panchakarma. If you have boiled rice available as used in Kerala , you can make Rice Kanji recipe with that. In fact it's brilliant