Move over kombucha and sourdough. India’s humble fermented rice gruel, kanji, is finding a place in the global food conversation. Once a staple of traditional kitchens, it is attracting attention for its association with fermentation, gut health, sustainability and regional food heritage. From restaurant menus in New York to export orders for Canada, this age-old dish is getting a contemporary makeover. At Chatti, a restaurant in Midtown Manhattan dedicated to Kerala cuisine, kanji has become an unexpected talking point. While seafood, beef fry and curries draw diners, it is the humble rice gruel that sparks nostalgia and conversation. “One of the more unexpected conversations at Chatti has centred around pazhamkanji, or fermented rice gruel,” says chef Regi Mathew, who launched the restaurant in February 2025. For American diners, the dish offers an unfamiliar taste; for the Malayali diaspora, it evokes memories of home. “Kanji evokes memories of home, childhood and meals that rarely find a place on restaurant menus, especially outside India,” says Mathew.
Known as pazhamkanji in Kerala, pazhedu in Tamil Nadu, and panta bhaat in West Bengal, its growing popularity reflects a wider international interest in fermented foods and healthier food alternatives. “Before refrigeration, people would soak leftover rice in water in a mud pot and leave it overnight. It would be consumed in the morning with green chillies, chopped shallots and a dash of curd. People soon found that it was good for their gut health,” says cookbook author and food historian Sabita Radhakrishna.
At Chatti, Mathew serves pazhamkanji made with Kerala’s matta red rice, accompanied by chammanthi (coarsely ground chutney), pickles and pappadam. He also offers payaru kanji, prepared with rice and whole green gram. The dishes cost $29 plus taxes per portion, with optional accompaniments of tapioca and fish or pumpkin curry.
The revival of kanji also reflects a renewed appreciation for traditional cooking. “As children, we used to look at it with disdain because we felt there was nothing great about the dish,” says Radhakrishna, noting the recent interest in grandmothers’ recipes.
Every rice-growing region has its own variation, says Rakesh Raghunathan, food historian and former MasterChef India judge. “People from Bengal and Odisha top it off with a drizzle of mustard oil. It has complex carbohydrates, nutraceutical properties, is extremely gut-friendly and helps cool the body in tropical climates.” For chefs, these variations offer a way to showcase local ingredients and culinary traditions.
Once a staple of traditional kitchens, Kanji is attracting attention for its connection to fermentation, gut health, and sustainability
Meenakshi Bajaj, a dietician at Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Speciality Hospital, believes traditional fermented foods deserve greater attention. “Pazhamkanji and all its regional variants have probiotic properties. The common prebiotic accompaniments, such as onion, garlic, karamani (cowpea) and many more, act as synbiotics, which play an important role in preserving gut health.” The trend is extending beyond restaurants to overseas retail shelves. The Malabar Kaipad Farmer Producer Company Ltd (MKFPCL), a farmers’ collective in Kannur, Kerala, recently received an order to export Kaipad kanji to Canada. Made with Kaipad rice, cultivated in the saline coastal tracts of Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod, the product showcases a distinctive regional ingredient that received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2014.
For Mathew, kanji’s growing appeal lies in its ability to bridge tradition and contemporary tastes. “In a dining landscape increasingly interested in fermentation, gut health and heirloom food traditions, kanji feels remarkably contemporary despite its centuries-old origins,” he says. From a traditional breakfast in Kerala to restaurant menus in Manhattan, kanji is proving that the next global food trend may already be simmering in India’s traditional kitchens.
RECIPE: Pazham Kanji- Chef Regi Mathew
Ingredients
1 cup leftover boiled rice
2 cups water
2 tbsp curd
5 bird's eye chillies (Kandhari mulaku)
2 shallots
Sea salt, to taste
Method
Soak the leftover boiled rice in water and leave it covered overnight to ferment
The next morning, crush the shallots and bird's eye chillies and add them to the fermented rice
Stir in the beaten curd and season with sea salt
Serve cold with pickle or chutney
Serves: 1
Preparation: Overnight fermentation + 10 minutes