Khichdi
Rice and split moong cooked soft together with turmeric and ghee. What Indian households eat when they are ill, and what they eat when they are tired.
Photograph credit: Shahjahani Khichdi by Devika_smile · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Flickr · this resized copy is shared under the same licence
Build the Meal Around Khichdi
- Plain yoghurt
- Mango pickle
- Papad
Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Chapati (Roti), Gluten-Free Naan, Idiyappam.
How to Make Khichdi
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Toast the moong dal in a dry pan over a medium heat for 2 minutes, until it smells nutty.
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Rinse the dal and rice together until the water runs clear.
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Heat the ghee in a heavy pan and fry the cumin seeds and asafoetida for 30 seconds.
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Add the ginger and chillies and cook 1 minute.
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Add the tomato and turmeric and cook 3 minutes.
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Tip in the drained rice and dal and turn them in the ghee for 2 minutes.
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Pour in the water, add the salt, and bring to the boil.
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Turn the heat low, cover, and cook 20 minutes, stirring twice, until both grains have collapsed and it is soft and loose.
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Rest 5 minutes off the heat.
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Stir in the coriander, pour the finishing ghee over, and serve.
Related guide: Choosing rice.
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Worth Knowing Before You Cook
Dry-roast the dal. It is two minutes and it changes everything.
Five parts water to one of grain, for softness.
A spoon of ghee poured over at the table, not stirred in earlier.
Common Substitutions & Variations
- Dried chilli flakes can stand in for the green chillies. Heat varies a great deal between chillies and between jars, so start with a small pinch and add more to taste.
- If you only have ground ginger, a quarter-teaspoon for each tablespoon of fresh is the ratio usually given; it tastes warmer and less bright than the fresh root.
Leftovers
Keeps 2 days refrigerated. It thickens; loosen with hot water when reheating.
Khichdi Nutrition
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
Cooked this? Keep a note for next time
Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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