A humble bowl of Moong Dal Khichdi

In recent months of the pandemic, I’ve noticed that family and friends have really taken to cooking. I see them trying out elaborate dishes in the kitchen. From Jalebis, Rasgullas, Banana Breads to Chicken Korma, Biryani and what not; they have embraced recipes from everywhere and tried new things. And kudos to them for celebrating their culinary skills. I, on the other hand, have been making this simple Moong Dal Khichdi over and over again.

Why, you ask? It’s the simplicity and brevity of the process and how it yields these bowls of super comforting meal every time. It is forgiving and never disappoints. To tell you the truth, this moong dal khichdi has sustained us on more weekend nights during the pandemic than it ever has in the last five years.

Peasant Food? Food for the sick?

Noted Indian Food Author KT Achaya in two of his books (A Historical Companion to Indian Food and A Historical Dictionary of Indian Food) mentions that several travellers to India observed that Khichdi or Khichri was a popular meal for people. He defines it as “A composite dish of rice and mung dal (occasionally other dhals may be used) cooked with ghee and some spices. Achaya notes several visitors to India like Ibn Battuta, Abdul Razzak and Francisco Pelsaert mentioning this food as a common meal in the evening of Indian agricultural labourers. According to an early Russian visitor, Akanasy Nikhitin, Khichdi was even fed to horses!

Growing up (Of course I would give you the history of my relationship with this particular food like all food bloggers!), Khichdi has always been associated with bimari (sickness). Got an upset stomach or just want to have something light? Make Khichdi. Want to give your system a rest from festive rich food? Make Khichdi. Want a quick fuss-free meal? Make Khichdi.

But I have never really liked Khichdi. I found it bland and boring, as it is often referred to as something not fancy. Three years ago when there was talk of Khichdi being our national dish (No, it’s not!), my father in law, who is a journalist, had remarked that we must write about Khichdi since it was all the rage. And I didn’t because I didn’t think much of Khichdi. That is, until I made my own version.

My version isn’t any different from any one else’s. It is just different from what I grew up eating. Since Khichdi was made only when someone was sick in our very Punjabi household, it was made with just heeng and jeera with a bit of ghee. Kanika and I were recently discussing that while other states in India have their own versions of a rice and lentil style dish like Pongal, Bisi bele bhaat, Punjabis do not have one. (Or do they? Let me know if I’m wrong.)

So when I started making Khichdi, I just added a tadka with onion, tomato, ginger and garlic to the moong chillka dal and rice mix. Then I added four or five times the water depending on what consistency I wanted and pressure cooked for 2 whistles.

Once the cooker stopped hissing and it was opened to reveal piping hot bubbling mass of Khichdi, I ladle it into deep bowls.

Always better with Ghee!

But before serving the Khichdi, to make it more comforting, I always, always add a tablespoon of ghee. Other fail-proof toppings worth mentioning are a few cracks of black pepper, khatta-meetha nimbu ka achaar and of course some homemade dahi on the side. The khatta-meetha nimbu ka achhar was a regular accompaniment to Khichdi while growing up because of it’s digestive properties, because this was bimari food. But it has always added more oomph and tang to this comforting bowl of goodness.

There is another Khichdi that I have always been really fond of. Probably because it looks like a beautiful pulao to me. And that is Chane ki dal ki khichdi. But that recipe is for another day!

A note on Consistency

Since this post was first written, we have a video of this Moong Dal Khichdi recipe adapted to the Instant Pot. Kanika recently made a version where she makes a much drier Khichdi that the one you see above. Like us, you may have your own preference of how runny, porridge like or khadhi khadhi (stiff and dry) you enjoy your Khichdi.

In the video, Kanika adds 4 cups of water but cooks the Khichdi for 10 minutes resulting in a drier Khichdi. If you want to make a runnier Khichdi in the Instant Pot, add an extra cup of water before you pressure cook it or pressure cook for 7-8 minutes. Like I have mentioned before, this Khichdi recipe is extremely forgiving. Tell us in the comments how you like your Khichdi.

Here’s how I make Moong Dal Khichdi now.

Yields: 4 bowls, Serves: 2

Prep Time: 10 mins, Cook Time: 20 minutes, Total Time: 30 minutes

Equipment required:

• A pressure cooker or Instant Pot ( The recipe below is a pressure cooker version. Adapt it to the IP method if you know your way around it. This recipe is very forgiving.)
• A deep ladle

Ingredients

• Moong Chhilka Dal, (Split Moong dal) 3/4cup
• Basmati Rice or any Indian Rice Variety, 1/4 cup
• Red Onion, 1, roughly chopped
• Tomato, 1, roughly chopped
• Ginger, 1/2 inch piece, finely chopped or grated
• Garlic, 1 clove, finely chopped or grated
• Jeera (Cumin), 1/2 teaspoon
• Ghee, 2 tablespoon plus more for topping
• Heeng (Asafoetida), a pinch or more if you like it
• Salt to taste
• Turmeric, 1/4 teaspoon
• Garam Masala, 1/4 teaspoon (optional)
• Filtered Water, 4 cups (or 5 cups for a runnier Khichdi)
• Freshly cracked Black pepper to your liking (Use in Tadka or while serving)

Pressure Cooker Method

Start by measuring the moong chhilka dal and the rice. I usually use a 3:1 proportion but you can try other proportions as per your liking. Add the measured dal and rice to a big bowl and rinse with cold water and drain 3-4 times.

After the final rinse, add 4 times water to the dal and rice mix. So, if you used a total of 1 cup of dal and rice (measured together), add 4 cups water and let the mix soak while you prep other stuff. For a runnier Khichdi, add 5 cups of water.

Gather the other ingredients while the dal and rice soak. Peel the onion and chop roughly. Wash the tomato and chop in chunks. Also chop the garlic and peeled ginger. You can chop or slit a green chilli if using.

Place the pressure cooker on medium high heat. Add ghee and wait for it to melt. Once hot, add cumin seeds and heeng (asafoetida). You may also add a few cracks of black pepper here if you like. Or you can add it on top while serving.

Wait for the cumin to pop. Once you hear the seeds pop and sizzle, add chopped onions and ginger. Stir to coat with the ghee and let these cook on medium heat till translucent.

Once the onions are done, add chopped tomatoes, garlic and green chilly. Soon after, add salt and turmeric.

Cook till the tomatoes are mushy. While they cook, drain and reserve the water from the rice and dal into another bowl. The idea is to toast the soaked dal and rice with the tadka. Alternatively, you could also use your clean hands to grab the soaked rice and dal and add them gradually. Toast the rice and dal with the tadka for 3-4 minutes.

This step is optional. You could also add the water and dal rice mix altogether.

Now add the reserved water to the contents of the cooker. Add an optional sprinkle of garam masala and close the pressure cooked lid.

Pressure cook on high heat for 1-2 whistles. After that remove the pressure cooker from heat and let the pressure release naturally.

Once the pressure is released, open the pressure cooker and mix with a ladle to combine the contents. Ladle the Khichdi in deep plates or bowls.

A few cracks of black pepper and a dollop of ghee later, comforting Khichdi is ready to serve!