Khichdi

My favourite comfort food is khichdi. Two years ago while doing a body reset for health reasons, I lived on khichdi for four months – I went from a very bland khichdi to masala khichdi. I have some four or five variations of khichdi. This one is by far the best.

The style of writing this recipe is different from the rest in the blog. To make it easy, the ingredients are in bold so you can prep the ingredients. This khichdi has chillies, tone it down if you wish. Ghee, as I have always said, is good for health. You may find this too tedious,  involving many steps.  But it’s worth the effort! 

Wash 1 cup of basmati rice. Rinse well and soak for 10 to 15 minutes. Boil water in a vessel. Once the water comes to a boil, add salt per taste (not too much) and then add the rice. Cook for 7 – 8 minutes. When the rice is almost cooked, drain the rice. Set aside.

In a bowl, take 1 cup toor dal, 1/4 cup chana dal and 1/4 cup masoor dal. Rinse well. Soak in enough water for half an hour. After half an hour, drain excess water from the dals and set aside.

In a pressure cooker, add 1 tsp ghee/clarified butter, 1 tsp jeera/cumin, 1 tsp ginger (julienned). Sauté. Add 1 tsp turmeric, salt per taste. Add the Dals to the cooker, stir. Add 5 cups of water. Cook on medium flame for 3 or 4 whistles. Switch off the flame and let the cooker de-pressure naturally. Once the cooker has been opened, give the Dals a stir and set aside.

In a vessel, add 1 tbsp ghee/clarified butter, 1 tsp jeera/cumin. Sauté. Chop fine 2 medium sized onions. Cook till translucent. Do not brown. Add 2 – 3 red chillies, 2 tbsp garlic (finely chopped), 3 light green chillie, 1 inch ginger (chopped fine). Sauté. Add 2 tomatoes (finely chopped), salt to taste, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tbsp coriander powder, 1 tsp red chillie powder, 1 tsp amchur powder, 1 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp kasturi methi. Cook till the tomatoes turn mush. Add cooked Dals and mix well. Add cooked rice, mix well and cook for 3 – 4 minutes. Add water to adjust consistency. Cook for 4 – 5 minutes. Sprinkle 1 tsp kasturi methi, 1 tsp sour lime juice, 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves. Mix.

For tadka: In a small pan, add 1 tbsp ghee/clarified butter, 1 tsp whole jeera, 1 tsp red chillie powder, 1/2 tsp hing/asafetida, 2 – 3 red whole red chillies, 3 tbsp fried onions. Give it a sizzle, do not burn. Pour over the khichdi.