Call it by any name, a khichdi is just about the greatest Indian comfort food ever invented. In this Masala Khichdi, I add a spicy, healthier spin with tons of veggies, making an already beloved dish even more worthy of your love. Vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free recipe.
A popular one-pot meal that's cooked in just about every Indian home is a khichdi or a khichari, and those are not the only names it goes by. It's khichuri in Bengali, pongal in Tamil, khichri in Gujarat, and kedgeree in English (yeah, as in the language spoken by the Brits). Although the Brits, somewhere in transit, made an unnecessary addition -- fish -- to a recipe whose vegetarian deliciousness really needs no gilding.
Today, we'll take this recipe back to its roots but we're going to do so with flair. A khichdi, at its most basic, is a pot of rice and lentils cooked together and it can be starkly plain (lentils, rice, salt, period). But the version I have for you today has, as the name suggests, a melange of flavorful spices and it's enriched by the goodness of a ton of fresh vegetables. Even better, I make it with brown rice.
One of the reasons I love Masala Khichdi is that it is a true one-pot meal, not one of those dishes that pretends to be one-pot and then asks you to, erm, please serve me with this side or that or I'm just not going to taste that good! When you make a Masala Khichdi, you can rest assured that all you need is a spoon and a bowl. And if you decide to make the wise decision of serving up some poppadums alongside, well, good for you!
You can also add all kinds of veggies to the Masala Khichdi-- really, use what you have on hand. I used sweet potatoes, eggplants and green peas because I had those around, but carrots and zucchini would be great here.
Before I move on to the recipe, I just wanted to say a big thank you to all of you who have written in recently to say you've cooked the recipes, or just to say hello. Your emails and the messages you leave on the blog are much valued and I read -- and am thrilled by -- each one. You inspire me to keep going and learning what you like helps shape Holy Cow!
Enjoy the recipe!
Try these vegan rice recipes:
- Mung Sprouts Khichdi with Butternut Squash
- Methi Tomato Rice
- Tawa Pulao
- Egg Biryani with no eggs
- Jeera Rice or Cumin Rice
Masala Khichdi Recipe
Vegan | Nut-free | Gluten-Free | Soy-Free
Masala Khichdi
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups brown rice
- 1 cup moong dal
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- ½ cup tomato puree or 2 medium tomatoes
- 1 sweet potato, cut into small cubes
- 1 cup green peas, frozen or fresh
- 2 Japanese eggplants, cut into small cubes
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp cayenne
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1- inch knob of ginger, grated
- Salt to taste
- ½ cup finely chopped coriander or mint leaves
Instructions
- If you have a pressure cooker, heat oil in the pressure cooker. Otherwise use a large saucepan.
- Add the cumin seeds and when they sputter, add the onions and curry leaves.
- Saute, stirring, until brown spots appear on the onions.
- Add the ginger and saute another minute.
- Add the tomato puree, turmeric, cayenne and coriander powder. Mix well and cook, stirring frequently, until the tomato puree darkens a couple of shades and bubbles at the corners.
- Add the vegetables. If you're using frozen peas, don't add them now.
- Add the rice and lentils.
- Mix everything well together, then add six cups of water or vegetable stock.
- If you're cooking in a pressure cooker, cover now and let the khichdi cook for 20 minutes after the cooker comes to pressure.
- On the stovetop, if not using a pressure cooker, bring the water to a boil, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and cook 45 minutes or until the rice and lentils are really soft. Add more water if needed at any time. You want the khichdi to have a slightly runny consistency, like a risotto. It shouldn't be too dry.
- Open the pressure cooker or pot. If you're using frozen peas, add them at this point and stir the khichdi well. Add the garam masala and salt and return the khichdi to heat to let it warm through.
- Garnish with the coriander or mint leaves.
- Serve hot.
Nutrition
Love this masala khichdi? Check out more vegan rice recipes on Holy Cow!
Very useful recipe.
I love khichdi and make it little different. I don't add any oil and no tadka.
Still it is so tasty and healthy.
Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks. 🙂
I know this is a dumb question but do you need to do anything to prepare the dal or rice beforehand?
Are you sure the peas are to be added after the khichrie has been cooked? They tasted like raw in my case.
Not if you added fresh peas--the instructions clearly say that if using fresh you need to add them earlier. Frozen peas should be able to easily cook through in the heat from the rest of the khichdi.
Ok. So the frozen peas are already pre-cooked. I didn't knew that. Anyways thanks for clearing up.
Great recipe, but it actual only says not to add frozen peas at a point; nothing about fresh peas. I can she how the other person got confuses.
This recipe is fantastic! I was looking for a cheap, healthy recipe that I could make large batches of because I have to pack lunches for 3 people every day. This has lots of flavor, is easy to cook, and is highly versatile---you can add whatever veggies you like. I am new to cooking Indian cuisine and I am pleasantly surprised. Thanks for posting!
I love this recipe because the complex flavors and variety of ingredients make it incredibly satisfying and delicious. I have been searching for vegetarian recipes that make use of unusual (to me) combinations of vegetables, grains and spices and avoid the overuse of cheese. This recipe knocks it out of the park.
I see all the comments but where is the recipe for Masala Khichdi?
Can you use regular eggplant instead of Japanese?
Yes!