Moong dal khichdi, simple one pot meal made of rice and moong dal. A quick, easy and a comforting meal.
Khichdi recipe | Moong dal khichdi in pressure cooker | Mixed vegetable khichdi | Easy one pot meal | Vegetarian lunch ideas | Vegan lunch ideas | Sattvic food | No Onion, no Garlic khichdi | Pressure cooker recipe
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A Little History
Khichdi or khichri is a dish made of rice and lentils. A very popular dish across the Indian subcontinent. The dish is also widely prepared in many Indian states, with numerous variations. Like the rice being replaced with millets like bajra khichdi, jowar khichdi etc. Check this interesting dhuli moong khichdi from Kashmir.
In Indian culture, especially in the northern areas, it is considered one of the first solid foods that babies eat.
In the southern part of India, however, the word khichri is not that popular. While people of Tamil Nadu and Andhra regions cook Pongal, and Kannadigas Bisi belebath, a pigeon pea variation with vegetables, close relative to our very own sambar rice. Check this soft and smooth rava khichdi made of semolina.
Khichadi : Eternal Comfort Food
Khichdi is a light meal, easy on the tummy, easy to digest and a nutritious meal to enjoy when one is recovering from a bout of illness. The soft cooked rice and lentils makes it easy on the digestive system, providing all the essential nutrition.
Khichdi, for us Indians, is pure emotion, feeling of home. A hot bowl of khichdi with a drizzle of ghee is pure bliss on plate. Ask any Indian, who has traveled the world enjoying all the cuisines, their favorite food would be this humble khichdi made by their parents or grandparents, simple and soul satisfying.
Mixed Vegetable Moong Dal Khichdi
Today's recipe of moong dal khichdi is a regular at home. Both my kids love a hot bowl of khichdi. There is saying that goes Khichri ke chaar yaar, dahi, papad, ghee aur achar, which means, Khichdi has 4 friends curd, papad, ghee and pickle. My younger one enjoys it with papad, whereas my elder is happy with some curd.
I usually make this mixed vegetable khichdi when I have minimal vegetables in hand. The dish as such needs just chilies and ginger for the spice, any other masala added is just to make it more fancy.
Ingredients
- Main ingredients : Rice and lentils. I have used short-grain rice along with moong dal for this mixed vegetable khichdi.
- Vegetables : You can use vegetables of your choice. I have used capsicum, chayote, french beans, green peas and tomatoes.
- Flavorings : This humble moong dal khichdi uses green chili, ginger, turmeric powder and store bought khichdi masala. 2-3 tablespoon of fresh coconut , though optional, adds a lot of flavor to the khichdi.
- Tempering : Usual Indian tempering ingredients like mustard seeds, cumin, hing, curry leaves and chilies.
- Fat : I have used cold press ground nut oil for cooking and ghee while serving.
- Liquid : Just plain water.
- Garnish : Fresh coriander leaves
Stepwise Instructions to make Khichdi
Please check recipe card below for exact measurements of each ingredient used and also for the detailed instructions
- Measure and keep all the ingredients ready on the kitchen counter. Wash and chop the vegetables.
- Wash and soak rice and dal together in water for 30 minutes.
- Heat oil in a pressure cooker, crackle cumin, add chopped chilies and ginger, sauté for a minute.
- Next add chopped vegetables and tomatoes and sauté for a minute. Add all the dry masalas and mix well.
- Now add drained rice and dal, enough water and coconut to this. Mix well. Close pressure cook for 4-5 whistles.
- Let the pressure fall on its own. Open the cooker, mix well. Add a tempering of mustard seeds, hing, curry leaves, methi seeds and chilies.
- Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and 2-3 tablespoon of ghee. Serve it warm with pickle, curd, and papad.
Moong Dal Khichdi | Pressure Cooker Recipe
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw rice I have used ponni raw rice, short grain variety
- ½ cup Moong dal/Pasi paruppu/split green gram dal
- 4 green chiles chopped roughly
- 1 inch piece of fresh ginger peeled and chopped fine
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1.5 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon Badshah brand Khichdi masala
- 3 tablespoon freshly grated coconut
- 3 tablespoon ghee/Clarified butter optional, skip if vegan
- 4 cups water
- handful of coriander leaves
Vegetables - Optional, skip and use just tomato
- 2 cups Mixed vegetables I have used chayote, capsicum, green peas, French beans
- 1 large tomato
Tempering
- 3 tablespoon cold pressed groundnut oil divided as 2 and 1 tablespoon
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds/kadugu
- ¼ teaspoon methi seeds/venthayam/fenugreek seeds
- 1.5 teaspoon cumin seeds/jeera divided 1 and ½ tsp
- ½ teaspoon hing/asafoetida
- 4 curd chilies or round red chilies
- few curry leaves
Instructions
- Measure and keep all the ingredients ready on the counter. Wash rice and moong dal in water for 2-3 times. Soak them together in water for 30 minutes.
- Wash and chop all the vegetables. Peel and chop chayote into small cubes. Chop French beans into 1 inch pieces. Chop capsicums in to cubes and tomatoes roughly.
Let us make the khichdi.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pressure cooker, when hot, crackle cumin seeds. Add chopped green chilies and ginger. Sauté for a minute.
- To this hot tempering, now add chopped vegetables and tomatoes. Mix well with the tempering.
- To this now add turmeric powder, salt and khichadi masala. Mix well.
- To this now add drained rice and dal, mix well. Add water and fresh grated coconut. Mix well.
- Close the pressure cooker, put on the whistle. Let it cook for 4-5 whistles. Let the pressure drop on its own.
- Once the pressure drops, open the cooker and mix the khichdi well. Add ghee and chopped coriander leaves to this and mix well.
Let us add Tadka
- Heat a tadka pan with remaining oil. When hot, splutter mustard seeds, add hing, curry leaves, methi seeds, curd chilies and finally cumin seeds.
- Pour this sizzling tadka over the hot khichdi. Mix well and serve the khichdi warm with papad, curd and pickle.
Storage Instructions
- Any leftover khichdi can be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. While serving, reheat in the microwave for 1 minute or steam cook for 10 minutes and serve it warm.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
I m not a Doctor or a Nutritionist The Nutrition information provided above comes from the plugin and is only an estimate.
nandoos kitchen
very nice healthy food..
kitchen queen
delicious and nutritiouskhichdi
Pavani
I didn't know about cooking without whistle -- I'm going to try it some time.
Khichdi looks colorful and delicious.
Srivalli
Very nice khichidi....and yes I am mostly pressure cooker person with whistle!..:)
Chef Mireille
what a delicious kichdi
Srividhya Gopalakrishnan
Definitely khichi is an eternal comfort food and goto food on busy days. Love it with pickle and raita any time.
Vaishali
Khichadi is a regular feature at home - at least once in a week. I too use 1:1 and add lots of veggies. Beautiful he had bowl, which tempts me to dig in.
Radha
Sign me up! khichidi is comfort food for us and I am always ready to make this for my family. I love your clicks too.
Seema Sriram
The kichadi is the perfect recipe for winter evenings. I love making these as they are nutritious and at the same time delicious.
Mayuri Patel
Khichdi is definitely comfort food for us at home. Love to have it with papad and dahi. Like how you've added some vegetables to make it more nutritious. I was thinking what to make for evening...its sorted, making khichdi with veggies.
Neha (My Culinary Expressions)
Priya, piping hot veggie khichdi with ghee is all that one could yearn for in this cold weather. You have used khichdi masala. This must have enhanced the flavors of khichdi. Will look out for this premix powder on my next grocery-purchases visit.
Archana
My comfort food! I love Moong Dal Khichidi and this version of yours is different from what I make. Will make a wonderfully welcome change. Thanks to you I now know that there is a Khichidi masala available. Will check it in my stores.
Kalyani
Coconut in kichadi is definitely new to me, but intrigued to try. and that bowl with that cucumber slices is defintiely inviitng. PS - didnt know that we had a kichdi masala too - must hunt it down in the local market 🙂
Sarika (Spice Zone)
Your khichadi looks delicious with all the goodness of veggies. I usually make it very simple with jeera n ghee tadka. Will try your version
Priya Vj
Vegetable dal khichdi is a soul satisfying food especially when we r in no mood to whip up something elaborate. I like my khichdi with thin buttermilk or Gujarati Kadhi with some roasted papads .