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Khichdo
Wheat, rice and dal porridge
ખીચડો: pounded wheat slow-cooked with rice and four dals into a thick savoury porridge for Uttarayan
Khichdo is Gujarat's Uttarayan dish of giving: on the morning of the festival big pots of it are cooked and shared with neighbours, cows and anyone in need, because charity on Makar Sankranti is thought to bring blessings. It is a slow, hearty porridge of pounded whole wheat cooked with rice and several dals until everything melts together, finished with a ghee tadka of whole spices, ginger and chilli. Some families make it sweet with jaggery instead. Common mistake: skipping the soaking; the wheat needs a night in water or it never softens, and the khichdo is ready when the grains are bursting and it falls thickly from the ladle. Chef's tip: pounded khichda wheat is sold in Indian shops; cracked whole wheat (not bulgur) also works.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
Grains and dals (soak overnight)
- 2 ⅛ oz rice
- 1 ⅜ oz toor dal
- 1 ⅜ oz moong dal
- 1 ⅜ oz chana dal
- 1 oz split white urad dal
- 7 ½ cups water
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tsp salt
For the tadka
- 4 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 4 cloves
- 1 piece cinnamon stick5 cm
- ¼ tsp asafoetida (hing)
- ½ tsp black peppercornscrushed
To serve
- 2 tbsp ghee (optional)melted
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Soak 5 ½ oz pounded whole wheat (khichda wheat) overnight in plenty of water. The next morning wash 2 ⅛ oz rice, 1 ⅜ oz toor dal, 1 ⅜ oz moong dal, 1 ⅜ oz chana dal and 1 oz split white urad dal together and soak for 30 minutes.
30 minStep 2: Drain the wheat and simmer it in a heavy pot with 7 ½ cups water for 30 minutes, partly covered, until the grains start to split.
30 minStep 3: Drain the rice and dals and add them with ½ tsp ground turmeric and 2 tsp salt. Simmer on a low heat, partly covered, for 50–60 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes and adding hot water if it gets too thick, until everything is very soft and porridge-like.
55 minStep 4: Mash a little against the side of the pot with the back of a ladle to make it creamy. It should fall thickly from the ladle.
2 minStep 5: For the tadka, heat 4 tbsp ghee in a small pan over a medium heat. Add 1 tsp cumin seeds, 4 cloves, 1 piece cinnamon stick, 2 bay leaves and ½ tsp black peppercorns and fry until the cumin darkens, then add ¼ tsp asafoetida (hing) and 1 tbsp ginger and green chilli paste and fry for 30 seconds.
2 minStep 6: Pour the tadka into the khichdo, stir and simmer for 3 more minutes. Serve hot with 2 tbsp ghee poured over, alongside kadhi or plain yoghurt.
3 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 340 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does khichdo take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 100 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of toor dal?
- Red lentils (masoor dal) (cook 10 minutes less).
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