Khichadi / खिचड़ी (Indian Vegetarian Polenta)

Khichadi With Pomegranate raita and pickle

The word khichadi or khichdi in Hindi literally means mixing up two or more than two things so as the identity of individual thing is lost. In shot khichadi means hotchpotch.

For some unknown reason to me Khichadi is associated with sickness, food for people who are unwell. But a nicely cooked khichadi with vegetables and spices is tasty, healthy, nutritious wholesome food. I call it comfort food, because of the ease of cooking and wonderful taste.

Earlier I blogged sabut Urad Daal Khichadi,  https://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2020/02/sabut-urad-whole-black-gram-ki-khichadi.html. Urad daal khichadi is slightly heavy to digest, but today the khichadi recipe I am blogging is not only tasty, nutritious but very light on stomach, thus can be had by one and all.

If khichadi is being made for someone suffering with fever, stomach ailment then chilies, veggies can be omitted.

Preparation Time: 10-15 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 3 Generous servings

Nutritional Value of Khichadi made from Given Ingredients (Approx. values)

Energy:  750 Cal

Fats:  7.5gm

Carbs:  150gm

Protein:  39gm

Sodium:  165mg

Potassium:  479.75

Dietary fibers:  20gm

Sugars:  6gm

Iron

Calcium

Ingredients Required For Making Khichadi:

• 100 gm: Rice (I use small grain rice not basmati rice)
• 50 gm: Masoor Daal (Red Lentil)
• 50 gm: Dhuli Moong Daal (Petit Yellow Lentil)

Mixture of Red and yellow Lentil

• 50 gm: Carrot (1 Medium Size)
• 100 gm: Tomatoes (2 medium size)
• 100 gm: Onions (optional)
• 1: Medium size potato (optional)
• 1Teaspoon: Chopped/grated Ginger
• 4-5Pods: Garlic (optional)
• 2: Green Chilies
• 2-3 Teaspoons: Chopped Fresh Coriander
• 1/2Teaspoon: Turmeric
• 1 Teaspoon: Red chili powder (or to taste)
• 1 Teaspoon: Cumin seeds
• 2Teaspoon: Ghee (Clarified butter)
• Salt to taste

Direction For Making Khichadi:

• Wash and soak rice in 200 ml. water.
• Mix Masoor daal (Red lentil) and Moong daal (Petit yellow lentil), wash till milky water comes out. Soak in 200 ml. water.

Mixture of Lentils cleaned and soaking

• Wash, peel and chop carrot and keep aside.
• Chop onion finely.
• Peel and chop garlic.

Chopped Vegetables

• Slit green chilies and remove the seeds.
• Heat ghee (Clarified butter) in a cooker, when the ghee is hot, add cumin seeds and slit green chilies. Let the cumin seeds splutter and chilies change the color.

Tempering Ready For Onions...to be added

• Add
• Onions
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Cook on medium heat with constant stirring for 60 sec. The onion will chage the color to translucent and raw smell of garlic will be replaced by wonderful smell of cooked garlic and ginger.

Onion-ginger-garlic cooked 

• Add
• Tomatoes
• Carrots
• Cook on medium heat till tomatoes become mushy, It will take 2-3 mi nutes.

Carrots and Tomatoes cooked

• Sieve water from soaked daal and add daal to the vegetables in cooker. Keep water aside for further use.

Soake Mixture of Red and Yellow Lentils

• Cook with constant stirring for 1-2 minutes on medium heat.
• Sieve soaked rice. Keep water aside for further use. Add soaked rice in cooker ans mix nicely.
• Cook on medium heat with constant stirring for 2-3 minutes.

Dal and Rice added

• Add
• Salt
• Chili powder
• Turmeric powder
• Mix nicely.
• Add water sieved from daal and rice. The measurement of water to be added is it should be almost an inch above from the rice+daal+vegetable mixture in the cooker. Use handle os spoon or fork for checking water level. Water requirement may change with different variety of rice. Use your judgement.

Spices and water added.

• Close the lid of cooker. Put the weight (Whistle) and bring the heat to high.
• Let the pressure be built in the cooker.
• Once the pressure is built bring the heat to low and cook for 8-10 minutes.
• Switch off the heat and allow the cooker to cool. Do not open when the pressure is yet inside the cooker.
• Khichadi is ready to be served and enjoyed with curd/raita, chutney, achar (Pickle), salad, and papad.

Khichadi

Mixed Daal Khichadi

Cucumber Pomegranate raita

Khichadi with Pomegranate Raita

• Garnish with fresh coriander to give that extra color and flavor.

Tips:

• Do not cook the onion till they turn brown, cook only till they become translucent.
• Less water will make khichadi dry and too much mushy pulpy. So add water carefully.
• If thick pulpy khichadi is required then add double the amount of water and cook for 3-4 minutes extra.
• Pour melted hot ghee over khichadi after serving. It adds amazing taste to khichadi.

Alternate suggestions:

• Vegetables like cauliflower, French beans, finely chopped spinach can be added along with tomatoes and carrots.
• Shallow fried Badi/Moongodi can be added before adding spices. Khichadi with badi/moongodi tastes amazing.
• Soaked nutri nuggets can be added to cooked onions before adding vegetables. This will increase the protein and dietary fiber content of khichadi.

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2013/05/how-to-make-moongodi-moong-dal-badi.html http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.in/2016/06/beetroot-raita-indian-savory.html

https://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2013/07/tomato-dates-chutney-thick-sauce-of.html

Chana Dal-Lauki (Bottle Gourd and Split Horse gram Savory)

Chana Dal-Lauki

Lauki (bottle gourd) made with chana dal(Split Black chick pea or split Bengal gram) is w Lauki (bottle gourd) made with chana dal(Split Black chick pea or split Bengal gram) is whole some food and has great taste. It can be paired roti/parantha/steamed rice. I personally prefer to have it with hot roti/ phulka.

Children (sometimes elders too) make great fuss when served with savory of bottle gourd, try Lauki made with chana dal I am sure they will love it.  

Preparation Time: 10 minutes hole some food and has great taste. It can be paired roti/parantha/steamed rice. I personally prefer to have it with hot roti/ phulka.

Children (sometimes elders too) make great fuss when served with savory of bottle gourd, try Lauki made with chana dal I am sure they will love it.  

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes

Servings: 4 large helpings

Nutritional Value (Approx. Value of total cooked savory from below given ingredients)

Energy: 170cal.

Carbs:    35 gm

Fats:       1.6gm

Sugars:   2.6 gm

Protein:   8.0 gm

Sodium:  12 mg +from salt

Potassium: 160 mg

Dietary Fibers: 12gm

Vitamins _­­: Rich in Folates, B­6, B12, C, A

Calcium 85 mg

Extremely rich in micro nutrients like Manganese, magnesium, Iron, Zinc, Copper

Lauki has tremendous health benefits. It helps in digestion and helps those who suffer with constipation.

It is helpful in hypertension, keeps heart healthy.

It is rich in vitamin C thus helps in keeping skin supple and soft.

It is very refreshing and cooling.

Apart from all this the fibers and micro nutrients present in it make it a very healthy vegetable.

Helps in weight loss.

Chana dal is rich in protein, Iron and other micro nutrients.

Thus when the goodness of Lauki and chana dal will come together along with delectable taste then there is no excuse for not making it and eating.

So let us start.

Ingredients Required For Making Chana dal-Lauki:

• 500 gm Lauki
• 30 gm Chana dal
• 50-60 gm Red Tomato (2medium size)
• 1Teaspoon Grated Ginger (or ginger paste)
• 2 Twigs of Curry leafs
• 1Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• 2-3 cm piece of Cinnamon
• 1 Green Chili
• 1/2 Teaspoon Red Chili Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Ghee (clarified butter) / any cooking oil
• Salt to taste
• Fresh green coriander leafs for garnishing.

Direction For Making Chana dal-Lauki:

• Wash chana dal and soak it for 2-3 hours.
• Wash and peel Lauki. Cut it to 1-2 cm size pieces.

Chopped Lauki

• Wash and make paste of tomatoes.

Tomato Paste

• Drain water from soaked chana dal and keep aside.
• In a pressure cooker heat 1tea spoon ghee. When the ghee is hot add
• Cumin seeds
• Curry leafs
• Cinnamon piece. Let the seeds splutter. It will take roughly 30 sec.
• Add ginger and pieces of green chili. Cook for 20-30 sec on medium flame.
• The curry leafs will look crisp, chili and ginger will give nice cooked aroma.

Tempering Ready

• Add Lauki and cook for 1-2 minutes with continuous stirring keeping the heat on medium heat. Lauki will start losing its moisture and start wilting,

Lauki cooking in ghee and spices

• Add chana dal and cook for 2-3 minutes on medium heat with continuous stirring.

Chana dal being cooked with Lauki

• Continuous stirring very important for it will make sure that the spices, chana dal, Lauki do not stick to the bottom of cooker.
• Add Tomato paste and cook on medium heat with continuous stirring for 2-3 minutes. 

Tomato Paste added

• Tomato paste will change the color and the water content due to Lauki and tomatoes will become less.
• Add
• Salt
• Turmeric Powder
• Red Chili Powder
• Mix nicely.

Spices added before adding water

• Add 150 ml.water. Mix and put the lid of cooker with weight. Bring the heat to high. When the pressure is built in cooker bring the heat to low and cook for 8-10 minute, or till three whistle of cooker.
• Switch off the heat and allow the cooker to cool. When the cooker is cooled open it and with a ladle give a good twirl.
• If you feel water is less or you want the cooked chana dal-lauki little more liquidy then add water as per your liking , give nice boil to water added cooked chana dal-lauki.
• Take out in a serving bowl and Garnish with Chopped fresh green coriander leafs.

• Serve hot with Roti/Parantha/Steamed rice with curd or riata as side dish.

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2011/10/roti-indian-bread-no-oil-dry-so-low-on.html

Chana Dal-Lauki

Enjoy tasty, healthy meal.

Tips:

• Always wash vegetables before chopping.
• Stirring continuously is very important to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the cooker.
• Make sure how hot the chili powder and green chili is before adding red chili powder.
• Add salt little less because lesser  salt in chana dal-lauki makes sure the subtle sweet taste of lauki is retained.

Suggested Variations:

• Garlic paste can be added along with ginger.
• Bay leafs can be added while tempering instead of curry leafs.

Masala Dosa ( Thin crisp rice-urd dal pancake with potato vegetable)

Golden Brown Crisp Dosa

Masala Dosa, Sambhar,Coconut chutney and some Masala by the side

Crisp golden brown Dosa with potato vegetable, coconut chutney and sambhar, evokes the memory of my hostel days in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India when we used to go 12 km. from our hostel to eat dosa with friends. We used to look forward for Sundays when we could come late in the hostel at night (10 pm!) so first a movie then Dosa treat.

Coming to Pune, Maharashtra after marriage gave me opportunity to learn making not only dosa but many South Indian dishes and Maharashtrian dishes. My daughter and son have been great admirer of the dosa I make though the recipe remains same everywhere it is the love and care with which it is made and their love for me that they find dosa made by me very special. No doubt there is no replacement for the food coming from mom’s kitchen.

                                             

Preparation Time: 30 min. (Soaking and fermentation time not included)

Cooking Time: 3-4 min. / Dosa

Servings: 15-20 medium size Dosa.

Ingredients Required For Making Dosa:

• 150 gm. Boiled Rice 

Boiled Rice

• 50 gm. Urd Dal

Urd Dal

• 1 Teaspoon Fenugreek seeds (Methi seeds)

• 1 Teaspoon Salt

• Water

• Olive oil / Ghee / Any cooking oil

Ingredients required for making Masala (Filling) for Masala Dosa: 

• 250 gm. 

• Potatoes

• 150 gm. Onions

• 5-6 Kadi Patta (Curry leaves)

• 1/2Tea spoon Mustard seeds

• 1/2Teaspoon Cumin seeds

• 2-3 Green Chilies

• 1/4Fresh coconut

• 1/4Teaspoon Turmeric Powder 

• 1 Tea spoon Red chili Powder

• Salt to taste

• 1 Tea spoon Olive oil /any cooking oil

  Direction For Making Dosa Batter:

• Clean rice and wash it till clean water starts coming from the washing.

• Wash the urd dal till clean water comes out from the washing.

• Soak washed  rice and urd dal and fenugreek seeds in excess water for 8 hours in a separate container.

Rice, Urd Dal and fenugreek seeds mixture soaked for 8 hr

• Drain all water from soaked rice, urd dal and fenugreek mixture and grind it separately to fine paste.

Soaked Rice and Dal mixture made to fine paste

• In a 2lt. container take the paste of dal, rice and fenugreek and salt. Mix nicely.

• Cover and keep aside for 10-12 hours for fermentation.

• The batter will rise after 10-12 hours of fermentation and will be ready for making Dosa.

Fermented Rice and Dal paste ( Batter for Dosa

Directions For Making Filling For Dosa: 

• Boil potatoes.

• Peel boil potatoes and crush them to small pieces.

• Peel onions and cut them to thin long pieces.

• Grate fresh coconut.

• Take oil in a thick bottom wok and heat on high flame.

• When the oil is smoking hot lower the flame and add mustard seeds.

• When the mustard seeds have spluttered then add cumin seeds and curry leavesLet the cumin seeds splutter and curry leaves become crisp ( 30-40 sec).

• Add green chilies and cook for 30 sec.

• Add onion and cook with regular stirring.

• Cook till the onions become transparent.

• Add crushed potatoes and mix nicely.

• Add turmeric, salt, Red chili powder and mix nicely.

• Cover and cook for 5 min. with occasional stirring in between.

• Add grated coconut and mix.

• Cover and switch off the gas. Let the flavor of coconut seep into the vegetable.

• Masala (filling) for Dosa is ready

Directions for Making Dosa from the Fermented Batter:

• Add 50 ml. water, mix nicely to get smooth pourable consistency batter.

• Oil a non-stick Tawa or Dosa Tawa (Thick Iron Plate) with 3-4 drops of oil.

• Heat the tawa on high flame till hot (not smoking hot).

• Reduce the flame and scoop 40-50 ml. of batter and spread it to a circle of 1mm. thickness.

Fermented paste of Rice and Dal spread on Tawa

•  Bring the flame to high.

• Pour 1 ml. of oil from the edges of the circle.

• The color of dosa from the side touching the tawa will start turning reddish and the edges will start leaving the surface of the tawa.

• Pry the dosa loose from the edges slowly and flip it upside down

One side cooked to golden color and being cooked on the other side

• Cook for a min. (the other side will also start becoming golden brown).

Dosa cooked on both side

Golden Brown Crisp Dosa

Crisp Dosa

• Reduce the flame and place 3-4 teaspoon of the filling in the center of dosa.

•  Fold the dosa and press it gently.

• Remove the Masala dosa from the flame and serve hot crisp golden brown dosa with coconut chutney and sambhar.

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.in/2012/08/tangy-delicious-coconut-chutney.html

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/05/sambhar-tur-dal-cooked-with-vegetables.html

Masala Dosa with Sambhar and Coconut chutney

•  Repeat with rest of the batter for making the number of dosa you require.

• Store rest of the batter in fridge for later use as it can be stored in fridge for 4-5 days.

Tips:

• If you are grinding it grinder then dal and rice can be soaked and ground together but if mixer is being used for making the paste then dal and rice should be soaked and ground separately.

• Do not make the paste too thin, it is better that the batter is thick while being kept for fermentation and water added as per requirement before making dosa.

• Some times dosa do not come out from the tawa and get stuck to it, so before you start making dosa cut an onion into half and rub the oiled hot dosa tawa with the cut onion.

•  Add water in little amounts during grinding.

Suggested Variations:

• Masala (potato vegetable) can be filled in dosa or served separately as per your wish.

• Add 2 Teaspoon of sugar to the fermented batter along with water; this will make sure that the dosa get beautiful golden brown color.

• Boiled fresh peas can be ground to paste and mix to the dosa batter (fermented) to make Matar Dosa.

• 1-2 Tea spoon sugar can be spread on dosa before flipping it for cooking the other side to make meetha dosa.
• Once the dosa is cooked on one side spread 3-4 tea spoons of grated Mozzarella cheese and then flip the dosa and cook on the other side having cheese for 1 min. (cheese will become golden brown).