The name Khichdi comes from a Sanskrit word “Khiccha” which means legumes and rice.
Our family favorite Khichdi is made from Moong Dal, Rice, Ghee and spices. This is one of the Indian comfort foods. Traditionally it is the first solid food given to a baby in India.
Sue’s grandfather used to say: Khichdi ke char yaar, am, papad, dahi & achar (khichdi has 4 friends, mango, poppadom, yoghurt and pickle).
The Recipe
Time to make: 15 Minutes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Tbs ghee
- 1 Tsp cumin seeds
- 1 bay leaf (or 8 fresh curry leaves)
- 1 Tsp fresh ginger, chopped
- 1 fresh green chili sliced
- ½ cup onions
- ½ cup tomatoes finely chopped
- ½ cup cubed carrots
- ¼ Tsp turmeric
- ½ cup Moong Dal
- 4 Cups water
- ½ Tsp asafetida (Hing)
- 1Tbs ghee
- 1 medium cubed carrot
Instructions
- Rinse Dal and rice well and soak them until you finish the next steps.
- In a pressure cooker (or instant pot) add ghee, when hot add cumin seeds and let them sizzle, at bay leaf or curry leaves, stir for 30 seconds (until curry leaves are fragrant, making sure they don’t turn black) and add the asafetida. Stir.
- Drain the water from dal and rice
- Add ginger, sauté for a minute, add the onions, green chili, cook until the onions become golden, add carrots.
- Add tomatoes, turmeric, and salt. Add the drained dal and rice and sauté for 4 minutes.
- Pour in 4 cups of water.
- Cover the pressure cooker, cook on medium heat for 20 minutes. Wait until it’s safe to open the cooker. Depending on the consistency you prefer you may add ¾ cup boiling water and simmer for 2 minutes or until the mixture stars to bubble.
- Transfer to a serving dish and add some ghee.
- Serve with poppadom, yoghurt, pickle and a ripe fresh mango (or a small bowl of canned alphonso mangoes)
- Note: Fresh Mangoes represent summer in India. They are typically available from May – September and are at their best from June -July.