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Moong dal khichdi

AI-drafted · awaiting admin review

Rice and lentils cooked soft with ghee and cumin. India's oldest comfort food.

Region: All of IndiaOccasion: Everyday; Makar Sankranti (Khichdi Parv)Time: 40 minServes: 3Vegetarian

Ingredients

  • ½ cup rice
  • ½ cup split yellow moong dal
  • 1 tbsp ghee
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • A pinch of hing (asafoetida)
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp grated ginger (optional)
  • Salt to taste
  • 4 cups water

Method

  1. Wash the rice and dal together and soak them for 20 minutes.
  2. Heat ghee in a pressure cooker. Add cumin, hing and ginger.
  3. Add the drained rice and dal, turmeric, salt and water.
  4. Pressure-cook for 3–4 whistles (or simmer covered in a pot for 30–35 minutes, stirring now and then) until soft and porridge-like.
  5. Serve hot with a spoon of ghee, curd, papad and pickle.

History

Rice-and-lentil dishes like khichdi have been eaten across India for centuries. The 14th-century traveller Ibn Battuta described a dish of mung beans and rice called kishri, and the Ain-i-Akbari (16th century) lists several kinds of khichdi.

Significance

Khichdi is often a baby's first solid food and the dish for anyone who is unwell. On Makar Sankranti, families in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar cook and share khichdi, so the festival is also called Khichdi Parv.

Sources