Up until a few years ago, I wasn’t the biggest fan of khichdi. At the time, I had never made it myself and the few versions that I tried, always fell short. That is till I tried Gloria’s recipe. Gloria used to be my brother-in-laws housekeeper and she was very skilled in the kitchen. While I didn’t have the opportunity to spend to much time with her, this was one recipe, she very willingly shared with me. I have tweaked it to suit our tastes and I love this version. To me this khichdi has now become comfort food. So, whenever I’m under the weather or even if its just a cold, wet day, I feel myself yearning for a bowl of this moong dal khichdi. Have I mentioned that this is a ridiculously easy recipe? Well, it is and today I’m sharing this little gem with you. I hope you try it out and like it as much as we do.
Moong Dal Khichdi
Course: MainsCuisine: IndianDifficulty: EasyServings
2
servingsPrep time
20
minutesCooking time
20
minutesA hearty blend of rice and lentils mildly spiced and easy to put together, making it the perfect lunch for a cold, wet day.
Ingredients
1/3 cup basmati rice
1/3 cup moong dal
1 tbsp oil
1 chilli, cut into large pieces
1/2 medium sized onion, chopped
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste
Fresh coriander, chopped (leaves and stalks)
- For the tempering –
1 1/2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter) (For a vegan version, use a dairy free option)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Directions
- Wash the rice and the dal separately. Repeat this process a few times, till the water runs clear. Soak the rice and the dal separately. The rice needs to soak for about 20 minutes and the dal for about 10 minutes. (So I soak the rice first, and 10 minutes later, I soak the dal). Drain the water in each of the bowls and run some fresh water through and drain again.
- Heat the oil in a vessel on medium heat.
- Add the chillies and saute for a few seconds.
- Add the onions and saute till they have softened and are a little translucent.
- Add the pepper and turmeric powder and stir well, to coat the onions.
- Add the rice and the dal and stir through.
- Now, add 2 1/3 cup of water. (I use a 1:3.5 ratio. That is, 1 part rice to 3.5 parts of water. Towards the end if you feel the need to add some more water, you can. I added another 1/3 cup towards the end. So this time I used a 1:4 ratio. The quantity of water will depend on your rice. So start off using 3.5 parts)
- Add salt to taste and stir through. Once the salt has dissolved, you can taste the liquid in the pot and see if it is seasoned to your liking or add more salt, if needed.
- Bring the water to a boil. Then cover the pot, reduce the heat to a simmer and let the rice and lentils cook off till tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. (At this point if you feel the need to cook it further, add a little more water and continue cooking as stated above.)
When done, take off the heat and start working on the tempered spices. - For the tempering –
- In a small vessel, melt 1 1/2 tbsp ghee.
- Add the chopped garlic and stir around. Let this cook gently till a little of the rawness of the garlic goes away.
- Then, add the cumin seeds and gently cook a little more. This will infuse the ghee with beautiful flavors. Make sure to watch carefully, as you don’t want the garlic to take on any colour or burn.
- Add this to the pot of khichdi and stir through.
- Finish off with some chopped coriander and stir to distribute well.
Serve hot. Garnish with a little extra coriander and serve with a pickle of your choice. I recommend a Mango Chundo / Chunda (a sweet and slightly spicy Mango pickle).
Enjoy!
Recipe Video
