Masala Moong Dal Khicheri – The Healing Potful
I have been struggling with some health issues. Coming to a head with fever and bronchitis. Yes, all of this has khicheri written all over it. A balanced one pot meal, khicheri is the ayurvedic prescription for healing.
For the love of Khicheri
Anyone who reads this site knows of my obsession with this simple comforting dish, here is another version from The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles.
This dish is known by many names, khichri, khichuti, khichdi depending on the regional language and alliteration being used.
Today it is much needed in my life. A day when I struggle to cook, this recipe just finds its way through muscle memory. The very ritual of working through the rice, lentils and vegetables have a soothing component to them.
Comfort Food is Healing Food
I am amazed at the mind and body’s natural instinct to reach out to something healing. Maybe because I know this as a part of the tradition that I have grown up with. Living and eating food that is a part of the Ayurveda tradition. As the world reflects on Brexit, I ponder about the benefits of Moong Dal Khicheri or yellow Split Lentil porridge.
Protein packed, light and nourishing this comforting dish does indeed pack a nutritional punch. In this version, with loads of tomatoes and spinach, the dish is iron, potassium and lycopene and a nice dose of carbs. Soft and gooey, it goes down easy, tempered with ghee or even coconut oil, I think I can see why we love this amazing dish so much. I had made big pot of this version and enjoyed this with the kids.
My progress over the last few days is that I have certainly graduated from khicheri to more of my usual style, in fact, today, Sunday Family Dinner was back with a gusto.
A recipe for masala kicheri, a well seasoned rice and lentil porridge.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of yellow split lentils (moong dal)
- 1/2 cup of short grained rice (if you are Bengali like me, that means Govinda Bhog) or Basmati
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon red cayenne pepper or to taste
- 1 cup mixed chopped vegetables (peas, carrots, turnips and cauiflower)
- 3 cups water
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- 1 or 2 cloves
- 1 large stick cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- 1 medium sized red onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 medium tomato, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 cup chopped baby spinach leaves
- 1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter) (optional)
- 1 lime
- Chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Place the lentils, rice, salt, turmeric, red cayenne pepper, mixed vegetables and water in a pot. Stir well and bring to a simmer and let it cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The mixture should reach a soft porridge like consistency.
- In the meantime heat the oil and add in the cloves and cinnamon and the cumin seeds and cook until the spices darken and turn fragrant. Add in the onion and cook for about five minutes until the onion softens and begins to turn translucent.
- Add in the turmeric and mix well. Add in the tomato and cook until soft. Add the spinach and stir until wilted. Add this mixture in to the rice and lentil mixture and stir well. Check for salt and cook for 5 minutes.
- To finish, add in the clarified butter if using. Cut the lime, squeeze in the juice and garnish with chopped cilantro.
Aditya
Hi,
Nice blog.
Moong daal has many amazing benefits in ayurveda