Khichdi with extra dal
Reviewed by Dr Namrata Bagaria, MBBS, MPH (Harvard)Last reviewed
Khichdi is what everybody eats when they are unwell, tired or have no appetite, and the usual version is mostly rice with a token handful of dal. That gets you comfort and very little protein at exactly the time your body needs it most.
Shifting the ratio, equal dal to rice or more dal than rice, changes what it does without changing what it is. It still tastes like khichdi. It just feeds you properly.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup split yellow moong dal
- 1/2 cup rice
- 1 small carrot, diced
- A handful of peas or chopped beans
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 inch ginger, grated
- Salt to taste
- 4 cups water
For the tempering
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- A pinch of asafoetida
- A few curry leaves
Method
- 1
Rinse the dal and rice together until the water runs clear.
- 2
Put them in a pressure cooker or heavy pan with the vegetables, turmeric, ginger, salt and water.
- 3
Cook for three or four whistles, or simmer covered for about twenty-five minutes, until everything is soft and collapsing together. It should be loose rather than stiff; add hot water if it thickens too much.
- 4
Heat the ghee in a small pan, add the cumin, let it darken, then the asafoetida and curry leaves.
- 5
Pour the tempering over the khichdi and stir through. Serve hot with curd.
Good to know
- A bowl of curd alongside adds protein again, and the two together are gentle on the stomach.
- For someone recovering from illness or with a poor appetite, this is the meal to make: soft, warm, protein-containing and easy to eat small amounts of often.
- It thickens as it sits. Loosen with hot water rather than serving it stiff, which is harder to swallow.
- The ghee is not optional in flavour terms and a spoonful is entirely fine. It is the quantity, not the ghee, that ever matters.