Khechidi/Khechudi/Khichri, yes it has that many names and some that I probably don't know of since in different parts of India it has a different name. It is one of my most favourite comfort food. It is nutritious and light on tummy. When I was a child mom would often make khechidi when I was sick as it gave the digestive system a break without compromising on nutrition. Khechidi was also a favourite on mom's fasting days since it's easy to make and uses very few ingredients. It's one of those foods, you either love it or you hate it, for me I associate it with days when my mom would be beside me comforting me due to illness, but I cleverly wipe out the "being sick" part and remember the "mom being close" part hence all the warm memories around khechidi.
Rice and lentils are the major ingredients of Khechidi. It can be made of several different kinds of lentils. I've used toor daal, but it can made out of moong beans, channa daal (yellow-split peas), green moong daal and even red lentils. I've twisted my mom's recipe a bit coz am crazy about tomatoes :) You can also put vegetables in it to increase it's nutritional value. It can be a great addition to your detox week.
[Learn More about Khechidi: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khichdi]
[Here's an interesting Elephant journal article on Khichdi : http://www.elephantjournal.com/2013/03/whats-so-amazing-about-khichadi/]
.png "KHICHDI")
| PREP TIME | COOKING TIME | SERVES |
|---|---|---|
| 10 minutes | 20 minutes | 2 - 3 |
INGREDIENTS
| Ingredients | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Raw Rice | 1 cup |
| Toor Daal (Lentils) | 6 tablespoons [I've used Toor daal, but you can use any other lentil that you have at home] |
| Cumin Seeds | 1 teaspoon |
| Onion | 1 medium sized |
| Tomato | 1 medium sized |
| Ginger | a small piece |
| Green Chillies | 1 - 2 |
| Turmeric Powder | 1 teaspoon |
| Water | 1:2 ratio for Rice : Water |
| Oil/Ghee | 2 Tablespoons (I've used vegetable oil but you can use olive oil or butter) |
| Salt | To taste |
PREP
- Soak the rice and lentils for atleast an hour before you cook. Soaking lentils removes the phytic acid content in them, making it easier for you to absorb all the nutrients from the lentils. I found this interesting article about beans/legumes and phytic acid that you might want to read - http://www.phyticacid.org/soaking-beans/
- Dice the onions and tomatoes
- Cut the green chillies into small pieces or slit them in the middle to make two long halves of each chilly
- I used a pressure cooker to cook this dish, pressure cooker cooks food quickly and it's an item you'll find in all Indian homes. Since we make a lot of lentil based dishes, it is a must have. If you don't have access to a pressure cooker you can use a regular pot to cook this dish though it might take longer to cook. (Make sure you soak your lentils longer if you're cooking in a regular pot)
PROCEDURE
- In your pressure cooker add oil
- When the oil heats up, add cumin seeds, green chillies and ginger
- Add the diced onions and fry them
- Add tomatoes
- Add the rice and lentil mixture
- Add turmeric powder and stir fry for 2-3 minutes
- Now add water. I keep a 1 : 2 ratio rice to water. You can adjust based on the consistency you are looking for. More water means delicious gooey consistency.
- Close the pressure cooker lid and cook until you hear atleast 2 whistles.
- Turn the burner off and pressure cooker off the burner and let the khichdi cook in it's own warmth
- If you are using a pot instead of a pressure cooker, boil water separately in a pot and add it to the rice-lentil mixture. Do not add cold water, it will hamper the cooking process and will affect your cooking time dramatically. You'll have to keep checking in to make sure you cook until both rice and lentil are cooked.
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SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Khichdi goes really well with plain yoghurt or raita. My favorite combination is khechidi and tomato pickle. Some people also eat it with ghee.
Feedback and comments always welcome!
