Why this recipe works
Khichdi's genius is a quiet piece of nutrition science. Rice is low in the amino acid lysine; moong dal is rich in it but shorter on the sulphur amino acids that rice supplies. Put them in one pot and they complete each other, giving a protein as balanced as many animal foods, from two humble plants. Cooked soft together, the starches and proteins are broken down and easy on the gut, which is exactly why khichdi is the food of the sick, the very young and the tired. The hing and cumin in the ghee are not decoration either, they are the traditional answer to the wind that pulses can bring.
Ingredients
Method
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1
Rinse the rice and dal together until the water runs clear. If you have 15 minutes, soak them; it is not essential.
Why: a short soak softens both, speeds cooking and trims the phytates that bind minerals, making the meal gentler still.
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2
Heat the ghee in a pressure cooker or heavy pot. Add the cumin and a pinch of hing; when they sizzle, add the ginger and stir for a few seconds.
Why: cumin's aroma is fat-soluble and blooms in the hot ghee, while hing (asafoetida) is the classic remedy for the gassiness of pulses. Ginger adds warmth and helps digestion.
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3
Add the drained rice and dal, turmeric, any vegetables, salt and water. Pressure cook for 3 to 4 whistles, or simmer covered about 25 minutes, until soft and porridge-like.
Why: cooking rice and dal together and soft is what makes them so digestible, the point of khichdi. Keep it loose; it thickens as it sits.
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4
Stir, loosen with hot water if needed, and finish with a spoon of ghee on top. Serve warm with curd, papad or a little pickle.
The finishing ghee: its fat carries turmeric's fat-soluble curcumin and rounds the dish. A little curd alongside adds protein and a cooling contrast.
Three ways
1 · Plain moong
Rice, dal and the tempering only, the soft, healing, sattvic version.
2 · Vegetable
Add carrot, peas, beans and a little tomato for a fuller masala khichdi.
3 · Millet
Swap the rice for bajra or foxtail millet for more fibre and minerals.