Tadka khichdi | Spiced khichdi | Tempered khichdi

Learn how to make this spicy khichdi. You can replace ghee with coconut oil for the vegan version of this dish. You'll not be disappointed for sure. Just try once :)

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 45 mins
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:
Rice: 2 cups, refer notes
Green gram dal | Hesru kaalu | Hara moong: 3/4 cup
Split moong dal | Hesru bele | Yellow moong: 1/4 cup
Water: 6 cups
Salt: As needed
Hot water: About 1/2 cup, optional

For the spicy tempering:
Oil: 2 tsp, any oil of your choice
Ghee | Clarified Butter: 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds | Saasive: 1 tsp
Cumin seeds | Jeerige: 1/2 tsp
Cloves: 4 nos
Curry leaves: 5-6nos, torn
Finely chopped garlic: 1 tbsp
Green chilies: 4 nos, chopped
Grated ginger: 1 tbsp
Red chili powder: 1/2 tsp
Garam masala: 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp

Method:

Wash the rice, green gram and yellow moong thoroughly.
Add the water and pressure cook the rice and lentils together for 3-4 whistles.Allow the cooker to cool for 15 mins.
Once the rice is cool, open the lid and mash the cooked rice mixture gently.

Heat oil and ghee in a small wok. Keep the heat to a medium.
When oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and cloves. When seeds crackle, add the curry leaves.

Follow it by garlic. When garlic is golden brown, add the chopped green chilies, ginger paste and saute.

Turn off the heat of the tempering and allow it to cool for a minute. Add the turmeric powder, red chili powder and garam masala to the not so hot oil.

Add the tempering to the cooked rice and lentil mixture. Add the salt and hot water (if needed).
Mix well and let the khichdi cook again on a medium heat for about 5-7 mins.

Serve the khichdi hot with a side dish of your choice. We like to eat our khichdi with kadhi, begun bhaja, salad or plain yogurt.

Notes:

• You can use any rice of your choice. I have used basmati rice (long grain white rice), sona masoori rice (small grain white rice), and brown rice.
• If you add the dry spice powders to very hot oil, the powders get burnt and that is not what we want. We want to infuse the flavors into the oil without burning the spice powders.

Masala Khichdi | Vaghareli Khichri : Gujarati Style

During the last couple of years, I learnt many Gujarati recipes. Masala Khichdi is one among them too. Thanks to my friends here. I usually make this on a lazy weekend. It is healthy, filling and I wont feel guilty for not cooking a complete meal. This is a complete win-win deal :)

Preparation Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 30-40 mins
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
Basmati rice: 1.5 cups, refer notes
Split gram dal | hesaru kalu | hara moong: 1/4 cup, with skin
Moong dal | hesaru bele | skinned gram dal: 1/4 cup
Salt: As needed

Vegetables: 2.5 cups, diced (I used French beans, carrots, potatoes, and eggplants)
Onion: 1 medium sized, chopped fine
Spinach: 1/4 cup, finely chopped
Green peas: 1/4 cup, I used frozen

Oil: 2 tsp
Ghee: 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Cinnamon: 1 inch stick
Clove: 4-6 nos
Curry leaves: 4-6 torn
Green chili paste: 1 tsp, more or less
Ginger paste: 1 tsp
Garlic paste: 1 tsp
Garam masala: 1/2 to 1 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
Water: As needed

Method:
Wash both the lentils thoroughly and let them soak for 30 mins.
Wash the basmati rice separately and keep it aside.
In a big sauce pan, add ghee and oil. When hot, throw in the mustard seeds, cinnamon and clove. When mustard seeds splatter, add the cumin seeds. When cumin seeds turn golden brown, throw in the curry leaves, the onion and saute until the onions become translucent.
Add the diced vegetables, chopped spinach and mix. Cook the vegetables on a medium heat uncovered for 3-4 mins.
Put the turmeric, green chili paste, ginger and garlic paste to the vegetables and mix.
Add water and allow the water to boil.
Once water starts boiling, throw in the soaked lentils, salt and garam masala. Give it a stir.
Keeping the pan half covered, cook the lentils for 10 mins in medium heat. Once the lentils are half cooked, add the green peas and rice.
Cook it until the rice is soft and fluffy. (It will not take more than 10-15 mins).
Once rice is cooked, cover the sauce pan and let it sit for another 10 mins.
Fluff up the khichdi and serve it with raita or kadhi or any side dish of your choice.

Notes:

• I generally add water in the below mentioned proportions. 1 (rice + lentils) = 2 to 2.5 water
• This recipe can be customized according to what you have or what you want. You can replace moong dal with toor dal, basmati rice with any other rice (like sona masoori, ponni or long grain rice). Throw in whatever vegetables you have. 

Easiest khichdi | Dheeli Khichdi | Rice and Lentils Porridge

Neither winter, nor the flu season is ending here :( It has been snowing & will continue to snow until at least till the end of this month. Because of the fluctuations in the weather, all of us are down with infections. My son has been throwing up continuously from the last 2-3 days. He is not able to take any complex food, not even vegetables, fruits or milk. I kept on giving him rice & yogurt with a pinch of salt all the time & he got bored of it, until my friend suggested me this dheeli khichdi. He loved it so much that I have made this dish back to back for him. Me & my hubby also loved eating it.

Preparation Time: Nil
Cooking Time : 15 mins
Serves: 2 people

Ingredients:
Rice : 3/4th cup (I have used sona masoori rice)
Skinned moong dal | Hesru bele: 3/4 cup
Oil: 1 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida: a pinch
Cloves: 3-4 nos
Turmeric powder: a pinch
Salt: As needed
Water: 6 cups

Method:
Wash the rice & dal thoroughly. Let the rice + dal soak in water for 15 mins

Heat the oil in a pressure cooker. When oil is hot, add in the cumin seeds & cloves.

When they turn fragrant, add in the asafoetida, turmeric powder, & water.

Adjust the salt & let the water boil.
Drain the water from the rice + dal.
When water starts boiling, throw in the rice + dal & cook it on med-high heat for 3-4 whistles.
Turn off the heat & allow the pressure to be released.
Remove the pressure cooker lid, add a tbsp of ghee & minx in the cooked khichdi thoroughly.

Enjoy hot.

Notes:
The water to rice + dal mixture needs to be 4: 1

Daliya Khichdi/Broken Wheat Khichdi: Beginner series

I'm happy that in a short time I have made like minded friends here. We go for short walks, shop together & also chat over phone. Not only that, we have started sharing recipes too. One such recipe, I learnt from a friend is this daliya khichdi. Our family liked it so much that, in a week I made it twice. The second time, I did not forget to take the pictures to share it with you all.

A comforting khichdi that is fast to cook, non-spicy, and also rich in fiber, & protein. 

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

Daliya/Broken wheat/Godi nucchu: 1.3 cups

Yellow moong dal/Split & skinned gram dal: 1/2 cup

Mixed vegetables: 2 cups (I used potatoes, carrots, peas, corn & beans)

Red onion: 1 medium sized, cubed

Ghee/Clarified butter: 1 tbsp

Oil:1 tsp

Cumin seeds: 1 tsp

Asafoetida: a pinch
Turmeric: a big pinch

Curry leaves: 3-4 nos, chopped

Water: 3.5 cups

Salt: According to taste

Special utensils:

Pressure cooker

Method:

• Wash the broken wheat & moong dal together. Drain the water & keep it aside.
• Heat the ghee & oil in a pressure cooker. When the ghee is hot, add cumin seeds. When seeds turn golden brown, add curry leaves. When leaves wilt, add asafoetida.
• Follow it by mixed vegetables (except onion). Saute the vegetables in ghee for a minute.
• Add the turmeric, broken wheat & dal mixture to the cooker & saute for 2-3 mins on medium heat. The ghee should coat well on the broken wheat, vegetables & dal. 

• Add the water, salt, red onion to the cooker & let the water boil on a med-high heat.
• When water starts boiling, close the lid of the pressure cooker. Let it cook on med-high heat.
• Remove the cooker from the heat after 3 whistles. Let the cooker sit for 5-7 mins or until the pressure is released completely.

• Mix the khichdi well & serve it with a side dish of your choice. 

Notes:

• We love to eat this khichdi with plain yogurt, boondi raita, chutney or a vegetable kurma/saagu. Relish it with whatever you like.
• My friend says, do not try adding green chillies or black pepper. The dish tastes better without any heat!
• Broken wheat can be easily found in any Indian grocery stores.
• Broken wheat to water ratio is 1: 2.5 cups.

Dahi Ni Khichdi

This is a dish that has all my favorite ingredients & I would love to eat it any time of the day!

I am never satisfied with the pressure cooker method of preparing khichdi. I always cook khichdi using the stove top method. Though stove top method takes about an hour to cook, the final result is simply WOW!

Preparation time: 15mins
Cooking time: Around 45-50 mins
Serves: 4-6 adults
Recipe Source: Adapted from Enjoy Indian Food.

Ingredients:
Basmati rice: 1.5 cups
De husked & split green gram/Moong dal: 1 cup
Yogurt/Curd: 1 cup
Salt:According to taste
Potatoes: 1 medium sized, cut into strips or cubes
Carrot: 1 small, cut into strips or cubes
Green peas: 1 fistful
Shallots/Sambar onion: 6-8 nos, coarsely chopped
Roasted coriander-cumin seeds powder: 1 tsp
Pepper powder: 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
Salt: According to taste
Water: 8 cups (We like our khichdi mushy!)

 For green paste:

Coriander leaves: 1/2 cup
Green chillies: 4 nos
Ginger: 1 inch piece
Garlic: 1 small pod, optional
Grated coconut: 2 tbsp, fresh or frozen
Water: 2-3 tbsp

For tempering:
Ghee/Clarified butter: 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds: 1.5 tsp
Bay leaf: 1 no

Method:

• Wash the dal thoroughly & soak them in water for 30mins.
• Whisk the yogurt & keep aside.
• Meantime, make a fine paste of the ingredients mentioned under the green paste section.
• Heat a thick bottom saucepan or utensil. Add ghee. When ghee becomes hot, add cumin seeds. When seeds turn brown, add bay leaf.
• Pour the green paste to the pan & stir well.
• Add the turmeric, pepper powder, coriander-cumin powder to the green paste & stir.
• Add the yogurt & mix well.
• Drain the water from the dal & add it to the yogurt mixture.
• Throw in the chopped potatoes, carrots, shallots & peas.
• Add the water & allow the dal to boil & cook on a medium-high heat.
• Meantime, wash the rice thoroughly & soak them in water for 15mins.
• Because of the addition of yogurt, the lentil/dal takes a long time to cook. Stir the mixture once a while to ensure dal doesn't stick to the pan.
• When dal gets 3/4th cooked((It takes around 20-25mins for lentil to get 3/4th cooked), add the soaked rice & continue cooking.
• When the rice gets cooked (soft yet firm), add the salt. Mix well.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low & continue cooking until the khichdi becomes a little mushy (like a porridge).
• Turn off the heat & garnesh it with coriander leaves & grated coconut (completely optional).
• Serve it hot with a raita or kadhi or plain yogurt/curd & papad.

Notes:

• If you feel, water is insufficient for the khichdi, add hot water in between while the rice & the dal mixture is getting cooked. However do not add hot water when the dal & rice is completely cooked.
• If your family doesn't prefer garlic, you could omit it.
• Cooking the khichdi on a stove top takes 2-3 times more time than the pressure cooker method. 
• If you are in a hurry, you could pressure cook it once a while, but I recommend preparing it without the pressure cooker. 
• Do not try to reduce the yogurt as it is the highlight of the dish.
• Do not use butter milk, use store bought or home made plain & fresh yogurt. Sour yogurt is not recommended. 

Gujarati Khichdi(Rice & lentils porridge)

Last week, lapsi and this week, khichdi. What next? undhiyu, kadhi..may be :D. Anyways, coming back to khichdi, it is a dish similar to Pongal and bisi bele bath. This dish is primarily a mix of rice and lentils. I say proudly that I experimented a lot for this khichdi & now I make it very close to what we get in Gujarati resturant here. There are many ways khichdi is prepared. In some Gujarati homes, khichdi is prepared using  only yellow moong dal.

My suggestion is.., please prepare this & I'm sure you will prepare it again the very next day. I can guarantee you on this one :D

Soaking time: 2 hours                                               Cooking time: Around 45mins
Preparation time: 5-10mins                                      Serves: 2-3


Ingredients: 
Split green gram with skin/Broken hara moong: 1 cup
Yellow moong dal/hesaru bele: 1/2 cup
Basmati rice: 1.5 cups
Cinnamon: 1 inch stick
Cardamom: 3 nos
Clove: 3-4 nos
Green chilli: 2 nos
Pepper powder: 1 tsp
Ghee/clarified butter: 2-3 tbsp
Oil: 1 tbsp
Water: 9 cups (adjust according to your needs)
Salt: According to taste
Bay leaf: 1 no
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves: 1 string
Asafoetida: a pinch
Turmeric: 2 big pinches

Method:

• Wash the split green gram thoroughly & soak it in water for 1-2hours (More time you soak, faster it gets cooked).
• Wash the yellow moong dal & soak it or 30mins.
• Heat oil + 1 tbsp of ghee in a large vessel. When oil is hot, add cumin seeds. When cumin seeds turn golden brown, add bay leaf, cinnamon, clove, cardamom, pepper powder & saute till the spices leave a nice aroma (takes around 20-30secs).
• Add curry leaves, green chilli, turmeric & asafoetida & saute again.
• Drain the water completely from the lentils(both split green gram & yellow moong dal). Add the lentils to the vessel & saute for a minute. Add the water & allow the lentils to cook.
• Meantime wash the rice thoroughly & let it soak for 10-15minutes.
• When the lentils are half cooked, add the soaked rice & mix them well. Cook the lentils + rice on a medium heat. When the rice is almost cooked, add salt & gently mix.(Adjust the consistency of khichdi by adding a cup of more water, if required).
• Finally, add the remaining ghee. Mix well & cook for a minute or two. Turn off the heat & serve it with a raitha or Gujarati kadhi.

Notes:

1. We prefer the khichdi to be semi-solid, hence I add more water. Do adjust the consistency according to your family needs.
2. I have tried preparing this khichdi using a pressure cooker, but somehow was never satisfied with the result. Hence, I strongly suggest you to try stove top method.
3. Remove the cinnamon stick, bay leaves from the khichdi before serving. 

Update:

I'm sending Lapsi & Gujarati khichdi for the event "Flavors of Gujarat" hosted by SimplySensationalFood.