Indian cuisine · Dough, Pasta & Rice

Khichdi

Soft-cooked rice with mung dal and turmeric, finished with a hot ghee tadka of cumin and asafoetida.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 150 g basmati rice
• 150 g mung dal (split yellow mung beans)
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 onion
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 piece ginger (3 cm)
• 3 tbsp ghee
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 dried chilies
• 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
• 1/2 bunch cilantro
• Salt

Instructions

1. Wash the rice and mung dal together until the water runs clear, then soak for 15 min.; finely chop the onion and ginger, and dice the tomatoes.
2. Drain the rice and dal, put on with turmeric, salt and 1.2 l water and bring to a vigorous boil once.
3. Simmer over gentle heat, half covered, for 25 min., until everything is very soft and falls into a porridge – add hot water if needed.
4. For the tadka, heat ghee in a small pan, let the cumin seeds and dried chilies crackle, and stir in the asafoetida.
5. Fry the onion in it for 4 min. until golden, then add the ginger and tomatoes and braise for 3 min. until the tomatoes break down.
6. Pour the hot tadka over the khichdi – it should sizzle –, stir once and serve topped with cilantro.