Sanju calls it ‘cheat food’. We call it superfood: The pazhamkanji glow-up story

When Sanju Samson picks up the phone after a high-stakes match and asks for pazhamkanji in Mumbai, you know this isn’t just about food. After months of sticking to a strict diet, this was the one meal he wanted to come back to; a plate that felt like home, not a reward.

Celebrity chef Suresh Pillai, better known to Malayalis as Chef Pillai, recently shared a slice of that story. A post-match call. A rare break from months of discipline. A request that sounded simple, but carried the weight of home: pazhamkanji, fish, kappa and chammanthi.

“Pazhankanji. In Mumbai. At 7 pm,” he laughed.

What followed was a quick pivot—kanji, kappa, fish curry, fried sardines, chammanthi—rushed to the team’s hotel. Not quite pazhamkanji, but close enough to satisfy a craving built over months of restraint.

Because here’s the thing: for athletes like Sanju, “cheat meals” aren’t indulgence. They’re emotional resets.

The meal that refuses to stay underrated
Pazhamkanji has long suffered a branding problem. For years, it was dismissed as a poor man's food. Something associated with frugality, leftovers, or rural kitchens. But quietly, without Instagram filters or nutrition labels, it has always been one of Kerala’s most powerful superfoods.

And now, it’s having its moment.

What exactly is pazhamkanji?
At its simplest, pazhamkanji is leftover rice soaked overnight in water, lightly fermented, and eaten the next day—often with green chillies, shallots, curd, pickles or fish.

What sounds basic is actually biochemical brilliance.

Why your grandmother was right all along

1. Natural probiotic powerhouse
The overnight fermentation turns pazhamkanji into a gut-friendly food rich in beneficial bacteria. In a world obsessed with kombucha and kefir, this is Kerala’s original probiotic.

2. Instant summer coolant
Pazhamkanji hydrates, cools the body, and helps beat tropical heat—something generations relied on long before electrolyte drinks became trendy.

3. Sustained energy, not spikes
Unlike refined carbs, fermented rice releases energy slowly. For someone like Sanju, who spends hours training and performing under pressure, that matters.

4. Rich in micronutrients
The fermentation process boosts the bioavailability of iron, potassium and B vitamins—making it more nutritious than freshly cooked rice.

5. Gentle on the stomach
Light, easily digestible, and comforting—it’s the kind of meal your body thanks you for.

From ‘leftover’ to lifestyle
There’s something quietly powerful about a cricketer at the peak of global sport craving a bowl of fermented rice instead of a five-star spread.

In between strict diet plans, protein tracking, and performance pressure, the body—and mind—often craves familiarity. The taste of home. The simplicity of something real.

As Sanju himself has said in recent interviews, success in cricket comes from trusting yourself through both highs and failures. That same philosophy shows up in what he eats too—going back to what feels right.