Two years back when i was doing Panchkarma, the full import of the ubiquitous Khichdi came upon me. We were being wrung out with massages and bitter drinks and the purging is the most intense experience in recent years. No candida or gut bacteria could have survived it: the first thing we are given is the water in which rice is boiled. Next meal there are some rice grains in it, then it has more rice grains and the few grains of moong dal and finally the Khichdi in the next meal. Nothing comes anywhere close to the taste and comfort of having the dish. As the gut healed khichdi was literally the road to health.
Two years later with a far healthier gut, I want to pay homage to this amazing ayurvedic dish. It can be digested by infants, sick and elderly and can range from utterly simple to a gourmet centrepiece.
Like a basic sponge cake can have thousands of variations, the khichdi can go from basic to sublime. Let me begin with the basic one in this post. The yellow moong makes the lightest khichdi and split moong is medium heavy and whole moong is the heaviest.
Ingredients per person:
1/2 cup white rice
1/4 cup yellow moong dal (or split moong)
1 tsp organic ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 pinch green cardamom powder
1 tsp grated raw turmeric or 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 cup carrots, finely diced
Salt to taste, 2 pepper corns
Method
I prefer making this in a slow cooker/crockpot but it turns out good even in a pan or pressure cooker or instapot.
- Wash the rice and dal till the water run clear. If you are cooking in an open pan, soak the rice and dal mix for an hour if possible. It opens and swells the grains and makes cooking time shorter.
- In the pan of choice, add the rice dal mix with 4-6 times the water depending on the cooking device. In the crock pot i add salt, cardamom powder and turmeric and let it cook for 3 hrs on High. For the open pan you need six times water, let it come to boil and simmer on low heat for 30 mins. Khichdi is never too cooked so just relax and let it bubble without sticking to the bottom. Just check ever 10 mins to see that there is enough fluid.
- Once ready the rice and dal will have smoothly intermingled. Now for the finally: in a small pan or large steel ladle, melt the ghee and add the asafoetida and cumin. They will froth and simmer. Take off the fire before it burns (this trick is best done by heating the ghee on high heat and switching it off- add the two ingredients and turn on only if they are not crackling!
- Add the ‘tadka’ to the khichdi and serve hot.
The consistency can be from thick gruel to thin soup- its personal preferences- the stronger the digestion the more the thickness is a rule of the thumb.
A tip on variations- You can add vegetables year round and ginger in winter.
