Meet the black black carrot!

My market trips always excite me. If it's Delhi, then it's the Indian National Army Market popularly known as INA market, always buzzing with people of all sorts standing patiently outside meat shops choosing the choicest cuts, some great quality spices, and fresh veggies from all over.

I always land up either to shop for a dinner which I may be cooking for mates in Delhi or just walk around window shop and eat a few tikkis and chats just outside the market. Last week, I was shopping for veggies to cook up a storm at an exhibition. The "on the spot" menu planning, getting inspired by the market produce gets me all geared up and horny.

This time, my attention was drawn towards these gorgeous Black Carrots . Carrot are known as an orange vegetable. Generations of people in the West have grown up believing that carrots have always been orange. But long before the orange carrot became established in the 16th century, the black carrot existed across Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean.

Black carrots are still grown and consumed in Turkey, Afghanistan, Egypt, Pakistan, India and the Far East. The very inquisitive and enthusiastic me wanted to know what all is done in North India with these black carrots.

My mind started to freak out and I started imagining that how cool these will look on a plate tossed along with some orange carrots with a splash of olive oil, lemon juice and freshly chopped coriander leaves. Gaajar Kanji is a traditional Punjabi fermented drink that is made in the winters. Black carrots appear in the winters in North India and these give the kanji its characteristic purple colour. If you don't have black carrots, then adding beetroot gives this rich dark purple colour.

The kanji is made with simple ingredients – carrots, mustard powder, red chilli powder and black salt along with water. The mustard added to the kanji helps in keeping the body warm in the chilly winters of the North. You can also add some turnips to the kanji if you prefer. The whole drink is kept in the sun and allowed to ferment in glass jars or ceramic jars for three to four days.

It all depends on the sunshine and fermentation can go on for five days. The kanji drink is had as an appetizer. it has a sour, spicy and pungent taste. Also, it is an acquired taste; either you will love the kanji or hate it. Black carrot can be eaten raw or like a slaw or in a simple carrot salad. Drinks made from black carrots are highly nutritious and have a high iron and vitamin content. They are very good for the stomach and also a great hangover cure!