Khichadi. Or kichari. Or kitchari. Or kitchree. Or even kedgeree, in England! It’s spelled any number of ways, and outside of India, it’s been catapulted to the status of a superfood, receiving far more fanfare than it ever did in its country of origin.
But what is it? Why is it catching on in the United States? Why does it have a cult following here?
Khichadi is a simple dish of rice, legumes, spices, and sometimes vegetables. That’s the general formula most Indian households stick to. The combinations of the ingredients you can use is literally endless. Khichadi is a complete one-pot dish. It’s easy to make, very tasty, comforting, and filling. It provides the perfect blend of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins for a truly satisfying meal.
Amongst Indians, this humble superhero is almost taken for granted. It’s an unglamorous, simple, unassuming dietary workhorse; neither complicated in composition, nor requiring great skill to make. It’s comfort food on a rainy day, a soft meal for toothless babies, an easy-to-digest dish for the elderly or convalescing. Often in Indian households, it’s a quick informal meal to put together when you have unexpected guests who decide to drop in around dinnertime. When they show no signs of leaving, and you find that you don’t have the time, energy, or resources to assemble a huge spread, you can shuffle off into the kitchen, make a quick batch of khichadi, serve it up with some papad (lentil wafers), achar (Indian pickles), and kadhi (a simple buttermilk soup) and call it a day. There’s an unwritten social code amongst Indian people that hosts can get away with making khichadi for dinner and drop-in guests won’t be offended. Everyone knows that though it’s quick and easy to make, it’s delicious and nutritious.
With that explanation of cultural context out of the way, go ahead and try it out. I’ve made a quick youtube video on how I make a very simple khichadi. For the purposes of teaching this basic recipe, I have not added complex spices or vegetables. It’s just a simple mung dal (mung bean) khichadi with basmati rice. If you don’t have basmati, you can use Jasmine or even plain American Long Grain. As long as you don’t use sushi rice, pearl rice, or any glutinous sticky rice, you’re going to be fine. In the future, I may make more videos to showcase other variations of khichadi.
This simple mung dal recipe pacifies all three doshas—Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. It’s easy for Agni (the digestive fire) to handle, and nourishing to all seven dhatus. Mung, unlike most other dals, is not going to leave you gassy and bloated. In addition, the added asafoetida will make it even more digestible. Khichadi is a good source of PLANT-BASED protein, fiber, and iron. If you use olive oil instead of ghee, the dish becomes vegan.
I’ve also measured the ingredients for you, but keep in mind that when cooking Indian food, you seldom need to measure. That’s what makes it so fun! Also, another note: I like my khichadi very soft. I add extra water and cook it to the point where the grains of rice start breaking apart. The flavors blend together and the whole thing turns soft and delicious. My mother’s khichadi looks different; it’s less porridge-like but just as amazing.
My video is not about elevating khichadi to some sort of gourmet “yogic” dish. Please! Don’t let anyone from yoga class try to impress you when they sprinkle words like “mono-diet” or “cleanse” or “khichadi” into their conversation. You can’t be intimidated. You know better now. Make it, be done with it, and enjoy it!
So without further ado, I present to you the recipe:
Ingredients:
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin (jeera)
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric (haldi)
1/4 teaspoon hing (asafoetida)
1 inch piece of ginger, grated
3 tablespoons of ghee or olive oil
Salt to taste
1/2 cup mung beans, soaked overnight and then drained. Make sure you sort through the dal on a light-colored plate first, so you can easily see and pick out any debris such as small pebbles.
1 cup rice, washed and drained
6 cups water (you can adjust this based on how soft you want the khichadi)
Instructions:
In a 4 quart heavy-bottom pot, first make a tadka (spices tempered in hot oil). On medium heat, melt the ghee or oil and add in cumin, ginger, hing, turmeric and sauté quickly.
Add in the rice and mung beans and mix thoroughly.
Add water and then add salt. Stir. Turn the stove up to high heat. Allow to come to a boil. Stir occasionally so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot.
After the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low, stir, and cover. The rice and dal will soak the water up and start to expand. Open the lid occasionally to stir and check and see if the khichadi is ready. It’ll be ready when it’s nice and soft and the mung dal and rice are well-cooked.
Serve hot. Top with a little ghee (optional) and a squeeze of lime. You can also garnish it with cilantro leaves. Serves 4-6 adults.
