Food for your soul

The history of khichidi possibly dates back to ancient India and the recipe favoured by the Mughal emperor Akbar, noted in the Ain-i-Akbari, calls for equal amounts of rice, dal and ghee in the dish. Often called India’s soul food, there isn’t a preferred time to have khichadi, India’s soul food. It can be  consumed when unwell, or for an upset stomach or just when one needs a comfort food.  The basic version is usually made with white rice, yellow, green or split moong lentils and topped with some ghee. An interesting spin-off of the khichadi is the kedgeree — a colonial dish that transformed into a British recipe with the addition of fish and boiled eggs. Here are two versions of it.

Makai Fada Masala Khichidi

Method:

1. Wash and boil the Makai dalia with minimum water required to a soft consistency.
2. Add ghee in another kadhai, bring it to smoke and add the whole spices , let the spices crackle then add the onion, curry leaves, green chilis  and sauté.
3. Once the onion is dark golden in colour, add the tomato, and powder masalas and sauté till all masalas are cooked.
4. Add the potato, green peas and sauté.   
5. One the potato is almost half cooked, add the boiled Makai dalia and mix well till all the spices are well. Serve hot with topping of ghee.

Ingredients:

• Makai Dalia – 100 Gm
• Ghee – 30 Gm
• Lavang – 2 Gm
• Tej Patta – 2 Gm
• Hing  - 1 Gm
• Kari Patta – 1 Gm
• Sliced Onion – 50 Gm
• Sliced Tomato – 30 Gm
• Green Peas – 20 Gm
• Potato Slice – 30 Gm
• Green Chilli Chopped – 10 Gm
• Dhania Whole – 5 Gm
• Jeera Whole – 2 Gm
• Haldi powder – 2 Gm
• Jeera Powder – 5 Gm
• Red Chilli Powder – 5 Gm
• Salt – To Taste

Sambhariya Khichidi

Method Stuffing:

1. Cook the rice and the split moong dal together.
2. To make the stuffing, ingredients mix all the ingredients together in the raw form.
3. Slit the brinjal, onion & potato in the raw form and stuff the slits with the Sambhariya stuffing.
4. Heat ghee in a pot and add jeera, curry leaves , green chilies, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves.
5. Now add the hing and turmeric powder, chilli powder to the whole masalas and cook off till the masala starts leaving oil. Now add the tomatoes to the masala and sweat them.
6. Add the stuffed vegetables to the masala and cook then, sprinkle water when ever necessary and cover them to cook evenly.
7. Once the vegetables are cooked add the boiled rice and moong dal to the masala and mix well.
8. Top with ghee and serve hot.

Ingredients:

For the stuffing:

• Grated Fresh Coconut – 50 Gms
• Fresh Chopped Corriander – 10 Gm
• Hing – 1 Gm
• Haldi – 1 Gm
• Red chilli powder – 2 Gm
• Salt – to Taste

Khichidi :

• Small Brinjal – 20 Gm
• Baby Onion – 20 Gm
• Baby Potato – 20 Gm
• Rice – 100 Gm
• Split Moong dal – 30 Gm
• Sliced Tomato – 20 Gm
• Bay Leaves – 2 Gm
• Ghee – 50 Gm
• Jeera Whole – 2 Gm
• Salt – To Taste
• Cloves – 2 Gm
• Cinnamon – 5 Gm
• Hing – 1 Gm
• Turmeric Powder – 1 gm
• Red Chilli Powder – 2 Gm
• Curry Leaves – 2 Gm
• Green Chilli Slit- 5 Gm