Comfort Food-Chana dal Khichidi

The humble khichidi, they say, is what comfort food is all about. It's amazing how simple, everyday ingredients-lentils, rice and few spices can brighten up a cold evening. 

My recipe today is designed just to do that. I love this one... it's a healthy, one pot meal and my husband and the kids lap it up. What's better is that served the next day- it taste even better.  Somehow, the standing period makes does the magic to this dish. And folks, go all creative with your khichidi... it doesn't always have to be plain. Add in a bit of colour; cooked with vegetables like cauliflower, peas, carrots, beans-khichidi is scrumptious. For a meaty feast; cook it with lamb, mutton or chicken. Having said that; I am serving a simple version today and lapping it up with cucumber and onion raita, roasted papad and dash of my recently prepared chilli pickle. Yes, my chilli pickle is ready and I have just opened the seal today. If you want to have a look at the recipe, go ahead. I must admit the pickle is amazing and it does take me back in a bit of a nostalgic time travel :) Served with the khichidi; it does justice to it really. I mean here we have mildness of the khichidi coupled with some fiery heat from the pickle. The yoghurt raita does the trick as a palate cleanser and the papad brings a bit of a crunch to the silky texture of the khichidi. Definitely... comfort food can't get better then this... 

About the origins of this dish- you'd be interested in knowing that the dish 'Kedgeree' (traditional English breakfast dish) owes its origin from Khichidi. Kedgeree is Anglo Indian in origin-at least the name, according to a few food historians and connoisseurs. So, while the name is India inspired; the dish per se is allegedly Scottish and reached India during the colonial time where it was adapted and adopted by Indians and latter came back re-invented to wider English households. The other side of the story contradicts the English claims and points out that khichri (from the sanskrit word Khicca) or khichidi (as we all know is today) reportedly dates back to as early as 15th and the 16th centruy; much earlier then the advent of the East India Company. There has been various mentions of this dish especially in historical documents. For instance, the Russian explorer Afanasy Nikitin, who travelled to the Indian sub-continent in the latter half of the 14th century successfully describes Khichidi in his writings. In the 15th century, the Greek ambassador makes mention of an very popular lentil and rice meal. The most famous mention of the very humble khichidi is ofcourse in  Ain-i-Akbari (a 16th century Mughal document). Now remember what I said about adding vegetables and meat to this dish...well, if you fancy follow some of the Mughlai versions of the khichidi. You will love it. 

Now, before I bore you more with free history lessons :) I do have to confess that I fell in love with Kedgeree since the first time I had it during my initial years in the UK. I had been on a highland holidays in Scotland and that's where I had it (what coincidence... :)) I refuse to get all sentimental about the origins of this dish; becasuse irrespective of 'who made it first'; I am amazed at the way the recipe has evolved to combine ingredients easily available in English kitchens. It's subtle but there is another difference... It's served as a breakfast dish here as opposed to khichidi being a lunchtime or more often a dinnertime meal. The English version is incredibly rich prepared with smoked fish (usually haddock or salmon), sultanas and hard boiled eggs. I love the Jamie Oliver version and planning to prepare the same for a brunch next weekend. More updates on that very soon. 

Back to our recipe; here is the list of the ingredients:

Serves 4

For the Khichidi

Chana dal                                 100 gms

Masoor dal or red lentils            50  gms

Rice                                          100 gms

Vegetable stock/water              4 cups and more

Turmeric powder                      ¼ tsp

Ajwain/Carom seeds                ¼ tsp

Jeera/Cumin seeds                    ¼ tsp

Saunf/Fennel seeds                  ¼ tsp

Cloves                                      4

Green cardamom                      3

Dhania/Coriander powder        1 tbsp

Jeera/Cumin powder                 1 tsp

Garlic , finely chopped               3 cloves

Ginger powder                         1 tsp

Red dry chilies (optional)           2

Clarified butter                          1 tbsp

Bay leaves                                 2                

For the Raita

Yogurt (Greek or hung)            1 cup

Cucumber, finely chopped        ½ cup

Onion, finely chopped              1 medium (adjust quantity to your liking)

Black salt                                  To taste

Fresh coriander, chopped         1 tbps

§    Soak chana dal and masoor dal for an hour in warm water. Soak rice separately in water (not warm; room temperature)

§     In the meantime, dry roast the following ingredients: Cardamom seeds, cloves, fennel seeds, cumin and carom seeds. Coarsely grind the spices and keep aside

§    Whisk up the yogurt. Mix in the cucumber, onion and freshly chopped coriander leaves. Leave it in the refrigerator. Season with rock salt just before serving.

§     In a pressure cooker, boil the lentils 1^st for about 5 minutes (without the lid). Then add the soaked rice. Mix well. Season with salt and add the turmeric powder, ginger powder, cumin and coriander powder. Put on the lid and cook up until 1 full whistle. Let it cool before releasing pressure

§      Check for consistency. The rice and the dal should be amalgamated well. It should be the same consistency as that of a cake batter (Remember, dal absorbs liquid as it cools). Add warm water or stock to adjust consistency. Now over low heat simmer the khichidi. Add the ground spices and mix well. The trick here is to constantly mix, so that the grains break. Once this is done with; remove from heat and keep it covered. In another pan or tempering pot, heat clarified butter or ghee. When it reaches smoking point, remove and add in the broken red chilies. Be careful in doing this. Immediately pour it over the cooked khichidi. Mix well again.

§        Serve this amazingly warm, one pot dish with Raita, roasted papad and pickle.

Much love to all. Enjoy!

..........Maverick cook :)