Dal Khichdi

• 150 g rice, short or medium grain¾ cup rice, short or medium grain
• 100 g split yellow moong dal½ cup split yellow moong dalIn the US: Labelled moong dal or yellow lentils at Indian groceries. Not yellow split peas — those hold their shape for twice as long and never go creamy.
• 950 ml water4 cups water
• 2 tbsp ghee2 tbsp gheeIn the US: Most US supermarkets stock it in the international aisle now. Unsalted butter works and you lose the nuttiness; oil works and you lose the point.
• 1 tsp cumin seeds1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)1 pinch asafoetida (hing)In the US: Indian groceries only. Leave it out rather than reaching for a substitute — there is no real one. Note most brands are cut with wheat flour, so it is not gluten-free.
• 1 onion, chopped1 onion, chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped1 tomato, chopped
• ½ tsp turmeric½ tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp salt, or to taste1 tsp salt, or to taste
• Coriander leaves to finishCoriander leaves to finish

Method

1. 1Dry-roast the moong dal in the pressure cooker over low heat until it smells nutty and turns a shade darker. Do not let it brown.2 min
2. 2Wash the roasted dal together with the rice, changing the water two or three times until it runs almost clear. Drain.
3. 3Heat the ghee in the cooker. Add the cumin and asafoetida, wait for the cumin to sizzle, then add the onion and cook until soft and translucent.4 min
4. 4Add the tomato and turmeric and cook until the tomato collapses. Stir in the drained rice and dal and coat them in the fat for a minute.3 min
5. 5Pour in the water, add the salt, and pressure cook for three whistles. Let the pressure drop on its own.12 min
6. 6Open, stir well, and loosen with hot water until it pours slowly off the spoon. Finish with coriander and an extra spoon of ghee.

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Instant Pot dal khichdi

Instant Pot

The version most US kitchens will actually cook, because the Instant Pot is the pressure cooker they own. Slightly more water than the stovetop cooker, because nothing evaporates.

1. 1Dry-roast the moong dal on Sauté (Normal) until it smells nutty, then tip it out and wash it with the rice. Roasting in the pot first saves a pan and the residual heat helps.3 min
2. 2Sauté (Normal) the ghee, cumin and asafoetida, then the onion until soft, then the tomato and turmeric until it collapses. Press Cancel before adding liquid.7 min
3. 3Add the drained rice and dal, 1 litre of water and the salt. Scrape the base properly — anything stuck there is what triggers a Burn warning once it comes to pressure.
4. 4Pressure Cook (High) for 6 minutes, then let it release naturally for 10 minutes before venting the rest. A quick release sprays starch through the valve and leaves the grains tight.16 min
5. 5Stir hard, then loosen with hot water until it falls slowly off the spoon. It will be looser than it looks right now and it will thicken in the bowl.

Khichdi without a pressure cooker

Stovetop

For a kitchen that has a heavy saucepan and nothing else. Takes about twice as long and needs one stir every ten minutes, but the texture is the easiest of the three to control.

1. 1Roast, wash and drain the dal and rice as in the main method, and build the same tempering in a heavy-based saucepan with a lid that fits well.12 min
2. 2Add the rice, dal, 1.2 litres of water and the salt — more than the pressure-cooker version, because forty minutes of simmering evaporates a good deal of it.
3. 3Bring to a boil, then drop to the lowest heat the burner will hold and cover. Stir every ten minutes, scraping the base, and add a splash of hot water any time it looks tight.35 min
4. 4It is done when the dal has disappeared into the rice and no grain has a hard centre. Finish with coriander and ghee as usual.

Nutrition

Estimated, per serving.

Calories

310

Protein

11 g

Carbs

52 g

Fat

7 g

Fibre

5 g

Sodium

620 mg