Author Notes: Khichdi is the favorite comfort food of Indians. It is a soft, pillowy pilaf made of rice and yellow, hulled, split mung bean. Despite the vast culinary diversity of India, khichdi is made in almost every state in myriad forms – with vegetables, without vegetables, with spices, with minimal spices, with tadka (tempered oil) or without tadka. The very basic recipe follows. It is a quick meal, which my mother churned out every time we arrived home from a trip. —Annada Rathi
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
-
1
cup white rice
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1/2
cup yellow, hulled, split mung bean
-
1
teaspoon ghee
-
1/2
teaspoon cumin seeds
-
1/2
teaspoon turmeric powder
-
1/2
teaspoon salt
Directions
- Wash rice and mung beans in water till the water runs clear. Soak them together in 2 cups water for 15-30 minutes. It’s fine if you do not have time to soak them. Just wash them and set them aside.
- Heat ghee in a thick bottomed pan with a lid. Add cumin seeds and once they stop sputtering, add turmeric. If you are vegan, replace ghee with any neutral oil.
- Pour three cups water in the ghee tadka and follow it up with the washed rice and mung beans. Add salt.
- Keep on eye on khichdi and once the water disappears, put a lid on and turn the heat to low. After 5-10 minutes, remove the lid and take a bit of rice out with a spoon. If it is soft and mashable, turn the heat off.
- Eat the khichdi warm with papad and kadhi. Don’t forget to pour ghee liberally on the khichdi.
