Daily Recco, June 7: Masala Khichdi is comfort food with a zing
On Food Safety Day today, we recommend khichdi as the safest bet that is the saviour for millions.
Its importance is often understated, but you would know that when you are unwell, the first go-to (after mother’s love) is khichdi.
This simple, humble, one-pot dish is a complete meal in itself. The name itself is so deep-rooted in our culture — the root of khichdi comes from the Sanskrit word khiccā that translates to, well, a cooked meal of rice and legumes. It finds mentions in Ayurvedic literature including the Suśruta-saṃhitā and the Caraka-saṃhitā. This pan-India dish has various variants across the country, but the basic ingredients and process remains the same.
Doctors, nutritionists and dieticians across the country are swearing by khichdi as the perfect meal for Covid-19 patients, thanks to it being high in protein and easy to digest. Even if you are not down with Covid (or any other infection, for that matter) khichdi is the ideal go-to meal after a weekend of gourmandising.
On Food Safety Day today, we recommend khichdi as the safest bet that is the saviour for millions. And for your dinner tonight, we give you the recipe for masala khichdi — the humble khichdi with a zing to appease your taste buds.
What you’ll need:
Half a cup of rice
Half a cup of moong dal
Two and a half tablespoons of ghee
Five cups of water
One teaspoon of cumin
Half a teaspoon of turmeric
One teaspoon of salt
One teaspoon of chilli powder
Half a teaspoon of garam masala
One bay leaf
A pinch of hing (Asafoetida)
One onion (finely chopped)
One teaspoon of ginger-garlic paste
One tomato (finely chopped)
A handful of shelled green peas and finely chopped coriander for garnishing
How to:
Wash and soak the rice and dal for ten minutes in a large bowl.
Heat a teaspoon of ghee in a pressure cooker and add the soaked rice-dal.
Sauté for about a minute till it gives out a distinct aroma of roasted dal.
Add the turmeric, salt and three and a half cups of water and mix well.
Pressure cook for four whistles. Let the cooker and pressure settle.
In a kadhai, heat the remaining ghee on low flame and add the cumin, bay leaf and hing. Saute for a minute.
Add the onion, ginger garlic paste and tomato. Cook until the tomato turns soft and mushy.
Add the turmeric, chilli powder, garam masala and salt. Saute for another few minutes.
By this time, the cooker should have settled. Add the cooked rice-dal to the kadhai along with a cup of water.
Cover and simmer for until the flavours are absorbed well.
Garnish with peas and chopped coriander. Enjoy it piping hot with pickle, papad and/or curd.