Dal Khichdi

Sundays are the days to sleep in and generally be lazy, especially if its raining outside and the London weather forecaster predicts a cold and windy day followed by a chilly night. While no one in their right minds would like to cook on such a day, the thought of hot mouthfuls of khichdi was too much to resist. Yummm ... my mouth is watering even as I think of it.

So I got to work, knowing that this delicious meal would not take up too much of my time and that I did not have to strictly follow a recipe. A Khichdi is a mish-mash of anything and everything plus rice, all cooked together in one small pot. The world does not know – a working (or lazy) woman's best friend is not a diamond, it's a pressure cooker. If you haven't yet been introduced to the wonders of a pressure cooker, its high time you started.

What Goes In:

Basmati Rice (you can use normal white rice)– 3/4 cup

Moong Dal (yellow lentils) – 1/4 cup

Water – 2 cups

Ghee (clarified butter) – 1 tbsp

Red Onion (sliced) – 1/2

Garlic (finely chopped) – 2 pods

Green Chillies (finely chopped) – 2

Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp

Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp

Black Pepper (coarsely crushed) – 1/2 tsp

Coriander Leaves (coarsely chopped) – 3 stalks, plus for garnish

Salt – To taste

The 'How To':

• Clean the rice and dal together in three washes of water. Soak in 4 cups of water and keep aside for 1 hour.
• In a pressure cooker, heat the ghee on a gas stove. Add cumin seeds, garlic and green chillies and let the flavors infuse in the ghee.
• When the garlic starts turning golden brown, add the onion and saute till it turns transparent.
• Add the soaked rice and dal and fry for half a minute. Add the water, turmeric powder, crushed pepper, coriander leaves and salt. I add a small dollop of ghee, for added taste, into the cooker at this stage but its completely avoidable.
• Keep the flame on high. When the water begins to boil, close the lid of the pressure cooker. When steam begins to form, place the whistle.
• After the first whistle, lower the flame and cook till the next whistle and switch off the flame.
• Remove the excess pressure and open the cooker.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

I had mine with leftover chicken curry and yogurt but it tastes great on its own too. For a quirky combination, try the khichdi with some crisps and spicy pickle.