Khichdi is a comforting and nourishing one-pot Indian dish of rice, dal, spices, and vegetables. Simple enough, but the way the ingredients are cooked make it more than that. This is what I want to eat at the end of a long day, when all I crave is a taste of familiarity and home.
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If I could only eat one thing for dinner for the rest of my life, I’d pick khichdi, a porridge-like Indian dish that has a lot of narratives attached to it. It’s often dubbed as a humble meal to ease the stomach, or in western wellness media from a few years ago, it was a trendy cleanse – which is funny because the earliest record of khichdi is the 9th century. BC!
I think the most interesting parts about khichdi can get overlooked, like its rich history and regional variations, from simple versions like this one to more elaborate versions served at celebrations or back in the day, to emperors and kings. The way I like it is fairly straightforward, with white basmati rice, mung dal, spices, and veggies.
How to Make Khichdi
Please feel free to use an Instant Pot, pressure cooker, or regular pot on the stove! The ingredients and initial steps will be fairly similar across all methods. I used an Instant Pot here so this recipe is best tested for that method, but it’s pretty simple to adapt to another type of pot.
Start with some flavor
Some cumin seeds, a bay leaf, hing (asafetida), and ginger should do the trick! I’ve seen recipes use some more seeds and whole spices, but this is what my mom does so I’m partial to her version. The hing is optional, but a small pinch helps flavor the oil or vegan butter!
…and some more flavor
Now some onions, tomatoes, and ground spices like turmeric, red chili powder, and garam masala.
Add some veggies.
Yet another reason for loving khichdi is that it has everything you could possibly want from a meal. Feel free to add the vegetables you want! I usually do carrots, peas, and green beans, but I also recommend cauliflower, green bell peppers, and potatoes.
Khichdi
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegan butter or neutral oil
- ½ cup moong dal see note for subs
- ½ cup white basmati rice
- 4 cups water
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 1 sprig of curry leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 pinch hing (asafetida) optional
- 2 inch ginger, grated (~ 1 tbsp)
- 1 green chili, minced
- ½ red onion, finely chopped
- 1 tomato, chopped
- salt
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp red chili powder
- ½-1 tsp garam masala *use more if your garam masala is not very strong!
- 1 cup mixed veggies (carrots, green beans, peas, bell peppers, cauliflower, etc.)
Instructions
- Soak the moong dal and rice in water until ready to use in the recipe.
- Set the Instant Pot to saute mode over medium heat. (You can also use the following steps in a pressure cooker or regular pot on the stove.) Add vegan butter or oil.
- Add cumin seeds and let them sizzle. Stir for 1 minute. Add hing (asafetida) and let it simmer in the butter or oil for 30 seconds. Add ginger and green chilis. Stir for another minute. Add onions and cook until they are translucent.
- Add tomatoes and a big pinch of salt. Cook until the tomato juices reduce, which should take 3-4 minutes. Add ground spices and stir for a minute. Add vegetables and stir for a few more minutes.
- Add the moong dal, rice, and water, along with ~ ½ tsp salt.
- In an Instant Pot: cook for 12 minutes at high pressure with natural pressure release.
- In a pressure cooker: start at high heat. Once the first whistle goes off, turn heat to low and cook for 5 more minutes. Allow for natural pressure release.
- In a regular pot on the stove: I haven't tried this but you can just simmer uncovered. Bring it to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until it reaches a mushy porridge-like consistency. It should take 20-30 minutes!
- Adjust for salt if needed. Garnish with cilantro.
Notes
For more Indian comfort food recipes, check out…
Awesome recipe.
I tried your recipe and the smell and taste is much more different. Its even better than my wife.
From now on, I’ll be the one cooking khichidi.
Thanks a lot
Absolutely! That makes me so happy to hear, I’m glad you’re enjoying it as much as I do! I’m flattered 🙂
You’re totally right, comfort in a bowl, not just some reductive “detox”. I showed my mum your video from Tik Tok and we agreed we had to make it asap. We’ve now made it twice in 72 hours 😂 I would absolutely buy a cookbook if you ever think of releasing one!
So happy this inspired you to cook again! I hope you enjoy this recipe, it’s one of my favorites 🙂
Found you from TikTok. This recipe seems very approachable. It sounds delicious too! I’ve been wanting to get interested cooking again and I think this recipe has inspired me again. Honestly sounds like perfect struggle meals which is exactly what I need. Thanks (:
Taelar
Thank you for being here! I don’t have a newsletter yet, but working on it 🙂
Hi Anisha,
I browsed through Google and came across your Blog… I love the Khichdi post which was very informative and useful to me ..
Thank you ..
Please add me to your newsletter for any future recipes…
Regards
Monica Joseph India