How Harpal Sokhi’s Karigari is letting kanji travel beyond winter

Discover how Chef Harpal Sokhi's Karigari makes traditional kanji accessible year-round with innovative flavors and natural fermentation.

Long before probiotics became part of the global wellness vocabulary, Indian kitchens were fermenting their way to gut health. Kanji, a sharp, mustard-forward winter drink made with black carrots, was a staple across North Indian homes, prepared in large jars and consumed in measured quantities.

At Karigari, chef and restaurateur Harpal Singh Sokhi is extending this familiar winter ritual into a year-round offering. By bottling and retailing kanji across the restaurant’s outlets in Delhi-NCR, he is among the first in the restaurant space to take the traditional fermented drink into a takeaway format.

For Harpal , the idea is deeply personal. “I still remember my mother making kanji in large earthenware and glass jars at home,” he says. “She would keep refilling them through the season. You were never meant to drink large quantities, about 200 ml a day was enough.”

Kanji has appeared on Karigari’s menu for several years now, introduced every winter as a seasonal offering. With the brand’s strong footprint in North India, the drink taps into memories that feel familiar for many diners. “It’s traditional, it’s regional, and it immediately connects with people,” Harpal says. “Many of them have grown up with it.”

From a winter ritual to a restaurant offering

The decision to bottle kanji, however, didn’t begin in winter. The first experiment started in September last year, well before black carrots entered the market. The absence forced a rethink. “Traditionally, kanji is made with black carrots, and that remains the most authentic version,” Harpal explains. “But if we wanted this to exist beyond a short winter window, we had to look at ingredients that are available through the year.”