Bengali khichdi

By: Chetna Makan

Published: 12 Aug 20
Updated: 18 Mar 24

Taken from her new book, Chetna Makan shows us how to make Bengali khichdi – a tasty veggie dish comprising of pulses and rice, which she discovered at a khichdi takeaway in Delhi.

This is a simple one-pot meal that is a great introduction, if you’re new to cooking Indian food.

Easy
August 2020

Test kitchen approved

Serves 4
Hands-on time 30 min, plus 1 hour soaking

Taken from her new book, Chetna Makan shows us how to make Bengali khichdi – a tasty veggie dish comprising of pulses and rice, which she discovered at a khichdi takeaway in Delhi.

This is a simple one-pot meal that is a great introduction, if you’re new to cooking Indian food.

Vegetarian recipes

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 296kcals
Fat: 8.2g (4.6g saturated)
Protein: 12.2g
Carbohydrates: 42.6g (2.7g sugars)
Fibre: 1.2g
Salt: 1.3g salt

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Ingredients

130g moong dhal (see Know-how)
130g basmati rice
1 tbsp ghee
1 cinnamon stick
4 green cardamom pods
6 cloves
2cm piece fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp salt
½ tsp sugar
1 tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp chilli powder
2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
650ml boiling water

For the Tadka (tempered spices)

1 tbsp ghee
2 green chillies, thinly sliced
20g fresh coriander

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Method

Toast the dhal in a dry pan for 4-5 minutes until it starts to change colour. Put it in a pan with the rice and wash and drain, changing the water 2-3 times. Drain, then soak in 500ml fresh water for 1 hour.
Heat a large pan and melt 1 tbsp ghee. Add the cinnamon, cardamom pods, cloves and ginger, then cook for a minute on a low heat. Add the salt, sugar, turmeric and chilli powder, cook for a few seconds, then stir in the tomatoes.
Drain the dhal and rice, then add them to the pan. Cook, stirring, on a high heat for 2 minutes. Pour in the boiling water, then cover and cook gently for 15 minutes until the dhal and rice are soft and squishy.

For the tadka, heat a small pan and melt the ghee. Add the chillies and, after a few seconds of sizzling, add the coriander. Pour the mixture over the khichdi and serve warm.

This recipe is from Chetna’s Healthy Indian: Vegetarian by Chetna Makan
(Mitchell Beazley £20). You can order the hardback here.

Recipe from August 2020 Issue

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 296kcals
Fat: 8.2g (4.6g saturated)
Protein: 12.2g
Carbohydrates: 42.6g (2.7g sugars)
Fibre: 1.2g
Salt: 1.3g salt

delicious. tips

The finished khichdi can be stored in an airtight box in the fridge for 2-3 days. Heat until piping hot before serving.
Moong/mung dal/dhal are skinned, split mung beans. They’re easy to digest and take on seasonings and spices well. Buy at large supermarkets, theasiancookshop.co.uk or Asian supermarkets.