Khichdi is the quietest hero of Indian cooking. Comfort food, recovery food, baby food, festival food — the same pot of rice and dal can be all of these. The single ingredient that lifts it from plain to memorable is good ghee.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup moong dal (split, washed)
- 1/2 cup white rice (washed)
- 3 cups water
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp Desi By Nature A2 Bilona Ghee
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp asafoetida (hing)
- 2 green chillies, slit
- 1 inch ginger, grated
Method
- In a pressure cooker, combine washed dal, rice, water, turmeric and salt. Cook for 3 whistles, then let pressure release naturally.
- In a small pan, heat the ghee. Once shimmering, add cumin, hing, chillies, ginger. Sizzle for 30 seconds.
- Pour the tempering over the cooked khichdi. Stir.
- Top each bowl with another small spoon of ghee at the table. Serve hot with curd, pickle and papad.
Why the ghee matters here: a direct-cream supermarket ghee will taste flat in a dish this simple. Bilona ghee carries the cultured aroma that flavours every grain.