Bengali khichdi
- Portion size: Serves 4
- Hands-on time 30 min, plus 1 hour soaking
- Difficulty: easy
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.
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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.
Nutrition
- 296kcals Calories
- 8.2g (4.6g saturated) Fat
- 12.2g Protein
- 42.6g (2.7g sugars) Carbs
- 1.2g Fibre
- 1.3g salt Salt
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