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Moong dal khichdi
Rice and moong dal porridge
Moong dal khichdi (मूंग दाल खिचड़ी): soft one-pot rice and yellow moong dal with turmeric and a ghee-cumin tempering
When someone in a Gujarati or Rajasthani home is under the weather, has just come back from a long trip, or simply wants a light supper on a Monday, the pressure cooker comes out for plain moong dal khichdi. Rice and split yellow moong cook together with turmeric until they collapse into a soft, spoonable porridge, and a small tempering of ghee, cumin and asafoetida is poured over at the end. It is eaten with yogurt, papad and a pickle, and it is gentle enough for toddlers over one year. A portion is about 290 kcal. The most common mistake is too little water, which leaves a stiff, dry khichdi; it should be loose enough to settle flat in the bowl. Chef's tip: dry-roast the dal for two minutes before adding water; it gives a nutty smell that plain boiled dal never has.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 4 oz short-grain or basmati ricerinsed
- 3 ½ oz split yellow moong dalrinsed
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 ¼ cups water
For the tempering
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 pinch asafoetidagluten-free
- ⅜ in fresh gingergrated
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What you'll need
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put 3 ½ oz split yellow moong dal in a pressure cooker or heavy pot over a medium heat and dry-roast, stirring, for 2 minutes, until it smells nutty but has not coloured.
2 minStep 2: Add 4 oz short-grain or basmati rice, ½ tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp salt and 4 ¼ cups water. Stir well.
Step 3: Pressure cooker: close, bring to full pressure on a high heat and cook for 3 whistles (about 10 minutes), then let the pressure drop naturally. Pot: bring to the boil, skim the foam, cover and simmer on a low heat for 25 minutes, stirring now and then, until the grains are completely soft.
25 minStep 4: Open and mash lightly with the back of a ladle. It should be soft and porridge-like; stir in a splash of hot water if it has thickened too much.
1 minStep 5: For the tempering, heat 1 tbsp ghee in a small pan over a medium heat. Add 1 tsp cumin seeds; when it sizzles and darkens a shade, take the pan off the heat and stir in 1 pinch asafoetida and ⅜ in fresh ginger.
1 minStep 6: Pour the tempering over the khichdi, stir once and serve hot with yogurt and papad.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does moong dal khichdi take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of short-grain or basmati rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of ground turmeric?
- Leave it out (it mostly adds colour).
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