Masala Khichdi With Vegetables Recipe By Pink Chai!

Hi everyone! You may recognize me, my name is Raj and I am the blogger behind Pink Chai. I am so excited to be back on Jillian’s blog contributing another recipe. If you missed my first one, Vegan Palak Tofu, be sure to check it out here! Today I am dishing out all of the delicious details on how to make Masala Khichdi with Vegetables!

Let’s get right to it!

Khichdi is the ultimate Indian comfort food. Most of us grew up eating khichdi when we were sick or feeling a little off. If anyone in the house had an upset stomach, mom was definitely making a batch. At its most basic form this is simply a rice and lentil dish served with a light seasoning of salt and turmeric, and a generous amount of ghee. Ayurveda tells us that a simple khichdi is easy to digest so it rests the digestive tract while nourishing the tissues of the body. This is why it’s often seen as a ‘detox food’ in the west. 

The version I’m going to share with you today has been spiced up just a little! This is a masala khichdi I like to make when I am looking for a quick comforting meal. Like all Indian food, khichdi is made in different ways with different spices all across the country. My family is Punjabi and I cook with mainly Punjabi spices and techniques so that’s what I’m using here. 

For the purpose of this recipe, I’ve broken the cooking down into two parts – rice and lentils, and the tempering. In my opinion this is an easier technique to learn than a one pot cook, and it allows for the addition of seasonal vegetables. Feel free to use whatever vegetables are hanging out in the back of your fridge, or whatever you can find at your local market. If you don’t feel like having vegetables one day, you can also skip them. 

If you are serving your khichdi as a meal, pair it with your favourite yogurt, some achar, and crispy papad/papadum. I love the mix of textures between a soft khichdi and a crunchy papad. You should be able to find them in the ethnic section of your regular grocery store. 

{A quick note on the use of ghee. Ghee is an integral component of any khichdi. However, many vegans do not eat ghee, so I would suggest using vegan ghee, sunflower butter, or avocado oil as a replacement.}

Masala Khichdi With Vegetables

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Recipe by From the Kitchen of Jillian Harris

Ingredients

• 1 cup 1 basmati rice

• ¾ cup red lentils

• 5 cups 5 of water

• 1 tbsp 1 ghee

• 2 tsp 2 salt (or to taste)

• 1 tsp 1 turmeric powder

• 1 tsp 1 paprika

• 1 cup 1 of chopped seasonal vegetables – I used carrot, Chinese eggplant, opal squash

• 1 tbsp 1 oil

• 2 tsp 2 cumin seeds

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 cup 1 chopped yellow onion

• 1 tbsp 1 chopped ginger

• ½ tbsp chopped garlic

• 1 green chilli chopped (optional)

• ¾ cup chopped tomato

• 1 cup 1 hot water (as needed)

• 1 tsp 1 coriander powder

• ½ cup chopped cilantro

Directions

• Wash the rice and lentils, and leave to soak in water for 30 minutes
• Drain the rice and lentils. Add them to a large pot with 5 cups of water, ghee, salt, turmeric powder and paprika. Bring the water up to a boil, then turn it down to low heat, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
• At the 10 minute mark, add your vegetables, stir and cover for another 10-12 minutes.
• Check for doneness. The rice and lentils are done when the lentils have completely disintegrated into the dish, and the rice is almost mush but you can still see the grains. We are looking for just a little bite from the rice.Take the rice mix off the stove, set it aside and work on the tempering.
• Add oil to a pan and heat to medium high. Add in the cumin seeds and bay leaf, cook for 90 seconds, stirring to prevent burning.
• Lower heat to medium, and add in the onion, ginger, and garlic. Cook the mixture for 5-6 minutes stirring throughout. The onions will slowly turn translucent and caramelize.
• Add the tomatoes and cook for another 2 minutes. Keep stirring throughout.
• Put the rice mixture back on the stove at a low heat. Add the tempering of onions and tomatoes to your rice and lentil dish. Stir thoroughly. Thin out the khichdi with ½ a cup to 1 cup of hot water for a runny soup like consistency.
• Taste your khichdi for salt and adjust seasoning as needed. Finish with coriander powder and cilantro. Serve hot!

I hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as I loved creating it!

Raj – Pink Chai