Bengali khichdi

Bengali khichdi

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.

Bengali khichdi

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

  • Serves icon Serves 4
  • Time icon 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.

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

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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

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

  1. The finished khichdi can be stored in an airtight box in the fridge for 2-3 days. Heat until piping hot before serving.

  2. 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.

Buy ingredients online

Recipe By:

Chetna Makan

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