Perfect Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker Bengali Khichuri

This Friday the beauty of the season finally hit me. I was meandering in the snow for a good two hours and then came home wet, cold and hungry. I was craving instant gratification, as in khichuri, soft warm and comforting. Bengali Khichuri for the uninitiated is one of the ultimate Bengali comfort foods. You do not mess with a Bong and their khichuri. It is summoned on wet rainy days, lazy weekend days and almost anytime the heart desires.

My Pressure Cooker Bengali Khichuri Story

A khichuri or khichri is an essential mélange of lentils and rice. Different flavors across India shape the regional variations of this classic combination. There are two main variations of the dish in the Bengali culinary universe. One made with moong dal or yellow split lentils and another made with red lentils. The major difference is in the seasonings. A tarka or cumin seeds and red onions are essential for this variation with red lentils. A non instant pot version of Khichuri can be found here.

The Bengali khichuri needs some precision with the texture, the rice and lentils need to dissolve into a soft porridge like texture. This is complimented with soft vegetables that retain their integrity.  It has taken be a couple of tries to get that in the instant pot.

Bengali Khichuri in the Instant Pot

The good news is that every attempt has reduced the cooking time, until this version takes 4 minutes with a natural steam release. Can you believe that. The kichuri does get a little bit of finishing, with the onions and the cumin tarka. I  have struck a compromise here with cooking the onions in the instant pot but finishing the tarka later. There is not a lot more to do with this dish. Messing around with the tested and tried is almost blasphemy.

Bengali Khichuri in the Instant Pot

On a different note, I made the best ever brown rice in my instant pot. I could actually discern the brown Basmati grains. Can you tell that I am in love? So many possibilities and fun things to do. If you love your legumes like I do, check out this collection of 50 recipes.

Print
Perfect Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker Bengali Khichuri

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

A gorgeous melange of red lentils, rice, vegetables and Bengali spices.

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil
  • 1 medium sized red onion thinly sliced
  • 3/4 cup red lentils (masuur dal)
  • ½ cup Basmati or kalajeera rice (note if you want to use brown rice, see my note on substitution)
  • 1 teaspoon powdered cumin
  • 1 teaspoon powdered coriander
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
  • ½ teaspoon red cayenne pepper powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • 2 cups (about ½ head of cauliflower) cauliflower florets
  • 1 medium sized Yukon gold potato, peeled and cubed (see notes)
  • 4 cups of water
  • 1/2 cup of frozen peas
  • To Finish
  • 1 tablespoon ghee or coconut oil
  • 1 and ½ teaspoons cumin seeds
  • 2 whole dried red chillies
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Instructions

  1. Turn your instant pot to sauté and add in the oil. After about a minute add in the onions and sauté the onions until they turn golden. This will take about 5 to 6 minutes.
  2. Add in the red lentils, rice, powdered cumin, powdered coriander, grated ginger, cayenne pepper, salt and turmeric.
  3. Add in the cauliflower, potato and water and stir well.
  4. Cover the instant pot and cook on manual for 4 minutes. Let the dish rest for 10 minutes or longer and then release any residual pressure and stir well. Turn the instant pot to the sauté mode. Add in the green peas.
  5. Heat the ghee or coconut oil in a small pan, add in the cumin seeds and the crushed red pepper if using, and the whole dried red chilies and cook until the mixture crackles and is fragrant.
  6. Pour the fragrant mixture over the khichuri. Gently stir.
  7. Squeeze in the lime juice and garnish with cilantro and enjoy.
  8. Notes: I often use organic red potatoes quartered with their skin on. If you wish, you can also throw in vegetables like broccoli or carrot for a more substantial khichuri.

Notes

Notes: I often use organic red potatoes quartered with their skin on. If you wish, you can also throw in vegetables like broccoli or carrot for a more substantial khichuri.

If you are using brown rice, increase the cook time to 8 minutes, and cut the vegetables into large pieces.

https://spicechronicles.com/perfect-instant-potpressure-cooker-bengali-khichuri/

 

5 Comments

  • Christine

    Your recipes all look so delicious! I have bookmarked a few on the instantpot app and can’t wait to try them. I ventured over to your blog to see if I could find your notes on substituting with brown basmati rice, which is all I have on hand. You mentioned to look for the note and I haven’t been able to find it, I want to make sure I’m adding enough water/cooking long enough. Thank you!

    • rinkub@aol.com

      Hi Christine,

      I updated the note, you need to cook the brown rice version for 10 minutes. The vegetables will however become much softer. I actually made another version with a workaround in that I add smaller diced veggies later. I will post this later this week. Thank you for visiting.

Leave a Comment

CommentLuv badge