Khichri - My Family's version of Kedgeree
by Moynaaickenfrom Welwyn Garden City
Recipe Story
I've made this everywhere I have lived. In Hyderabad, India and in Bangladesh they grow a beautifully fragrant, short grain rice....called 'little pearls' in the Telugu language or 'chinigura' or fine sugar in Bangla. This recipe can be made with as few or as many ingredients with whatever is available in your kitchen at the time. And like they say in India - no daal (lentils) tastes the same from one home to another because it can be made in so many different individual ways! This recipe can be a meal in itself served with some Raita, a pickle and a few crisp papads.
The word 'khichri' in many Indian languages means a mish-mash of things and it can be applied to food, speech or even activities! Traditionally, khichri is a mixture of rice and dal (lentils) and the lentils can vary - cooked with yellow mung dal a khichri in my family was associated with being unwell and it was prepared as a means of nurturing the unwell person because its easy to digest. The version I have provided is a slightly richer and spicier one and I have on occasion served it to dinner guests!
Servings:
TwoLevel of difficulty:
EasyIngredients
1 large cup of rice
2 tbsp of clarified butter or Ghee (I have made it with olive oil too)
1 tspn whole cumin
2 medium sized onions halved and sliced
4-5 cloves garlic peeled but left whole
½ tspn Turmeric
Salt
Pinch of red chilli flakes
2 medium potatoes peeled and cubed into 1 inch pieces
2 Carrots, same as potato
2 tomatoes quartered
Add any other vegetable like large pieces aubergine, courgette, pumpkin
Chopped green coriander leaves for garnishing
1 onion slices and fried crisp for garnishing
Method
1. Wash the rice well to get rid of all the excess starch, until the water is clear - this prevents the rice from becoming stodgy. Drain and leave until all the other things are ready.
2. Sautee the onions until they just about start browning but half way through that add the garlic so they both brown by the same time.
3. Chuck in the cumin, turmeric and chilli flakes and fry for a minute or so before adding the damp rice.
4. Toss the rice well in this mixture so each grain is coated with the fat and the spices.
5. Add the vegetables and toss with the rice mixture so that all ingredients get coated with the spices.
6. Add the quartered tomato.
7. Pour in enough water so that the rice has two-fingers of water above it - this has always been my way to gauge how much water to add to rice which is going cook till the end in its water. Normally, I drain off the starchy water from boiled rice to throw away the excess carbohydrate!
8. After the water has come to a boil, slow down to a gentle simmer until the rice is cooked. Do not stir and eventually the top will look like small craters through which the steam has been blowing through as the water evaporated and cooked the Khichri.
Dish it with crispy fried onion and coriander sprinkled on top.
Variations: You can vary the vegetables and also the spices (add powdered coriander or add whole Garam Masala - clove, large and small cardamoms, cinnamon and whole pepper) as well as the garnish....I have sprinkled Sumak on it once!
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