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Khichdi with a twist: Try these 7 innovative recipes, courtesy top chefs
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The humble khichdi is also versatile and lends itself to a lot of experimentation. We get chefs from across the country to give share some unique recipes.
Khichdi, a mixture of rice and pulses has, for long, been considered as a comfort food for sick days. But this understated, easy to make dish also nourishes you and is a nutritious meal in itself. For many, it is associated with festivals (for instance, khichdi is associated with Durga Puja in Bengal where it is served as a blessed offering).
Recently, there were rumours about the khichdi being termed as India’s national dish. The food processing minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal later clarified that the dish has only been selected for the World Food India event in a bid to popularise it.
It is also a versatile dish, that is now becoming popular across Indian eateries. “Despite the initial psychological hold-up about eating Khichdi at a restaurant, it is one of our highest selling main courses and most patrons relish this simple-yet-delicious dish,” says Chef Sunderlal, executive chef at Restaurant Twenty Nine, Mumbai.
We get chefs from across the country to share some innovative recipes:
1) Bohri Mutton Khichdi
Recipe by:Ustaad Mubarak, head chef, The Tha’l Co, Mumbai
Ingredients
1 cup Basmati rice (soaked)
500 grams boneless mutton (cut into 1 cm pieces)
1/2 cup split pigeon pea (toor dal/arhar dal) soaked
1 1/2 tablespoons ghee
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
6-7 cloves
4 Green cardamoms
2 medium onions (finely chopped)
6-7 cloves garlic
1 inch piece ginger
1 green chilli (split)
1 medium tomato (chopped)
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoons garam masala powder
2 tablespoons fresh coriander leaves (chopped)
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup fried onions (sliced)
Method
1.Heat ghee in a pressure cooker. Add cumin seeds, cloves, cardamoms and onions. Sauté till onions are light brown. Grind garlic, ginger and green chilli with a little water to a paste.
2.Chop tomato and add to cooker along with the ground paste. Mix well and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add salt, mutton pieces and mix well. Then add turmeric powder and garam masala powder, mix well and cook for 2 minutes. Add a fixed portion of the freshly ground in-house magic masala powder.
3.Add Toor dal, mix, cover and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add 3-4 cups of water and stir. Add salt, coriander leaves, mint leaves, rice and fried onions. Combine well.
4.Cover the cooker and cook under pressure till 3 whistles are given out. Reduce heat to low and cook for 10-15 minutes. Switch off heat and let it stand for 5 minutes. Serve hot.
5.Garnish with onion, garlic and cashew nuts. Serve with a bowl of chilled curd.
2) Jaee ki Khichdi
Recipe by: Chef Sunderlal, Executive Chef, Restaurant Twenty Nine, Mumbai
Ingredients
50gm moong dal
20gm spinach
20gm oats
1tsp jumbu
2 pieces cinnamon sticks
4/6 pieces whole black pepper
1 piece Kashmiri chilli dry whole
2 tsp ghee
Salt to taste
½ tsp Cumin seed
Method:
1. Precook the soaked Moong dal dry in a pressure cooker till soft and keep aside.
2.Fine chop the spinach and wash; remove all excess water.
3.In a pan, take ghee, heat it and add chilly – fry it and keep the reserve in the pan.
4.Add cumin to it and then add the whole masalas; add the spinach and then toss it well till it leaves water.
5.Then, add moong dal and little water as for the required consistency.
6.Put oats in it and cook well, adding salt as required and then add chilly and remove when in proper consistency.
7.Serve along with curd and papad (recommended).
3) Kedgree Three Bean
Recipe by: Prashant Issar, co-founder, Madeira and Mime, Mumbai
Ingredients
10 ml oil
3/4 garlic cloves
20 gm cardamom
20 gm peppercorns
20gm bayleaf
20 gm cloves
200gm Arborio rice
40 gms tomato
10 gms each Butter beans, broad beans and soya
Cilantro to garnish
10 gm mixed masala
Red chillies to taste
Salt to taste
Method
1) Heat oil. Once it is hot, add all the dry spices. Cook well.
2) Soak the rice in lukewarm water for an hour before cooking it.
3) Add tomato, mix it well. Add the rice and beans and cover with water. Cook slowly.
4) Once cooked, season for taste and garnish before serving.
4) Dal Khichdi Risotto
Recipe by: Chef Gaurav Gidwani, Corum Hospitality.
Ingredients
Boiled toor dal - 120gms
Arborio Rice Par cooked - 160 gms
Ghee - 60 ml
Mustard Seeds - 3 gms
Curry leaves - 2 gms
Hing - 1 gms
Chopped onion - 50 gms
Chopped garlic - 8 gms
Chopped tomatoes - 40 gms
Chopped chilly - 7 gms
Turmeric Powder - 5 gms
Red chill powder - 10 gms
Roasted Cumin powder- 8 gms
Stock - 100 ml
Mozzarella - 40 gms
Cream -30 ml
Salt - to taste
Fried Papad - 1
Parmesan - 20 gms
Method
1) Heat 40 ml ghee in a pan crackle mustard seeds and curry leaves.
2) Add chopped onions garlic and cook till brown then add the powdered spices and cook further. Add tomatoes and cook till they soften.
3) Once the masala is done add the cooked dal.
4) Then add the half cooked risotto rice and some stock water and let it cook for about 5 to 10 minutes.
5) Once the rice al dente, then add the parmesan cheese, butter and some cream. Adjust seasoning and finish off by adding in some freshly chopped coriander.
6) Garnish with papad chura: crush the papad, and in ghee and red chili powder.
5) Kuttu Ki Khichdi (a popular delicacy in Gujarat during Navaratri)
Recipe by: Amlan Bose, Executive Chef, The Astor, Kolkata
Ingredients
Buckwheat ( Kuttu) whole grain – 100 gm
Moong lentil- 50 gms
Fried Peanut – 25 gms
Potato ( small cubes ) – 250gms
Chopped Ginger – 10 gms
Tomato Chopped – 50 Gms
Whole Cumin Seed – 5 gms
Whole Red chili- 2 gms
Turmeric – 10 Gms
Red chili powder – 50 gms
Salt – to taste
Sugar - To taste
Ghee- 50 gms
Method:
1) Soak buckwheat ( kuttu) and green moong lentil together for 6 hours.
2) Take a heavy bottomed vessel , heat ghee and then put cumin seed and red chili as tempering.
3) Now add cube potato , fry till light brown ,add chopped tomato , chopped ginger along with all spices ,cook till tomato melts add soaked kuttu and green lentil. Mix with all masala add hot water.
4) Adjust the seasoning with salt and sugar , cover the lid for 15- 20 minutes. From time to time check the consistency.
5) Cook till it has porridge like consistency , sprinkle fried peanuts and serve hot .
6) Black rice khichdi
Recipe by: Megha Agarwal, Chef consultant and Corp sous chef at Summerhouse Cafe
Ingredients
Manipuri Black rice ( pre soaked) -1 cup
Moong daal (pre soaked) - 1.5 cups
Desi ghee - 2tbsp
Paanch phoren - 1/2 tsp
Dried bay leaf - 1-2 pcs
Local lime leaf (ghondhoraj lebu leaf)- 4-5 pcs
Green chilli - 1 slit lengthwise
Ginger (julienne) - 1 tbsp
Garlic (sliced) - 1tbsp
Chicken stock(alternatively, you can use a rich vegetable stock) - 4-5 cups
Ripe red Tomatos (blanced, peeled and chopped) - 1/2 cup
Tumeric powder - 1tsp
Salt - to taste
Method
1) In a heavy bottom pan, heat the ghee and add the paanch phoren, dried bay leaf, green chilli, ginger and garlic. 2) Add the tomatoes and tumeric and cook for about 3-5 mins till all the water has evaporated and tomatoes form a nice paste
3) Add the rice and dal and stir it making sure you coat it evenly with the ghee tomato mixture.
4) Add the chicken stock, the lemon leaves and check for seasoning.
5) Cook till dal has disintegrated and the rice feels cooked when pinched between two fingers.
6) Garnish with more ghee and coriander.
7) Serve with plain curd, fried aubergine slices, crispy potato sticks and pickle.
7) Pumpkin khichdi - risotto style
Recipe by: Chef Rakhee Vaswani, Owner, Palate Culinary Studio & Academy
Ingredients
Pumpkin - 100gms
Toor Dal - 1/2 cup (Boiled with salt and turmeric)
Rice (Arborio Rice)- 100 gms (Parboiled)
Asafoetida
Jeera - 1tsp
Curry leaves
Garlic
Salt
Turmeric
Green chilli - 1
Onion - 1/2 cup - minced
Tomato - 1/4 chopped
Butter/ghee- 2tbsp
Garnish - Coriander or Parsley
Parmesan Cheese - 50gm
Method
1) Heat butter or ghee in a pan.
2) Add garlic, jeera and curry leaves.
3) Next, add the onions and green chill. Stir well.
4) Add pumpkin puree and boiled dal.
5) Add the arborio rice and adjust with water if required.
6) Check seasoning and add some chopped tomatoes and parmesan cheese. Garnish with coriander and some chopped pumpkin and serve hot.
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