Recipe- Ditch Your Boring Khichdi With This Tasty Recipe

Khichdi or khichri is an Indian one pot lentil and rice dish that’s vegetarian, easy to digest and wholesome. Done right, it can be incredibly tasty and may become your favourite comfort food. This version can be made in a traditional pressure cooker or an Instant Pot.

Ingredients

1/2 cup small grain Rice
1/4 cup Arhar Dal (Toor dal/ Split Pigeon Peas)
1/4 cup dhuli Moong Dal (skinless Petite Yellow Lentils)
2 tablespoons Ghee
1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
6–8 whole Peppercorns
2 Bayleaves
4–5 Cloves
2 whole Cardamoms
1 teaspoon grated Ginger
1 Green Chilli or Serrano Chilli, split lengthwise
6–8 Cauliflower Florets
1 Potato, quartered
1 large Carrot, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
8–10 French Beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup frozen or fresh Green Peas
1 teaspoon Turmeric
1/2 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder or Paprika Powder
1.5 teaspoons Salt
5 cups Water

Method

* Wash the rice and both the dals (lentils) well, and soak them in enough water to cover them for at least 30 minutes or up to two hours. This helps them cook faster.

* Heat ghee in the pressure cooker and add cumin seeds, peppercorns, bayleaves, cloves, cardamoms, ginger and green chilli. Saute for two minutes on medium flame.

* Drain all the water from the rice and lentils and add them to the cooker. Dry roast them for 4-5 minutes, till you can smell a nutty aroma.

* Don’t worry if some of the rice and lentils stick to the bottom of the pan, but be careful not to burn them.

* Add all the veggies, turmeric, chilli powder, salt and water to the cooker and pressure cook for 6-7 whistles.

* Let the pressure release naturally. Once all the pressure has released, open the pressure cooker and mix well.

* After mixing, the rice and dal should have broken down and should look slightly creamy. Check for salt, and serve hot with ghee, fried potatoes, tomato chutney or just yogurt.