khichdi- easy lentil and rice stew
In light of events over the past few weeks, I have been thinking of easy pantry meals that we can be making that are nourishing and hearty. Khichdi was a dish my mum made growing up if any of us were sick. It’s a warm hug in a bowl, something we could all use right about now. It comes together so quickly and doesn’t require many ingredients.
When I was verifying the recipe with my mum, she said ‘fill a small bowl with rice and lentils and then put it in a pot with enough water.’ Lucky for you, I have included a more traditional recipe below. Enjoy!
Khichdi
If you only have one type of lentil, that’s fine; just use ½ a cup of whatever you have. If you don’t have whole peppercorns, just use ½ tsp ground pepper.
Ingredients
⅓ cup basmati rice
¼ cup red lentils
¼ cup green lentils
½ tsp turmeric
¾ tsp salt
1 tbsp ghee or butter
1-inch knob ginger, minced
¾ tsp peppercorns
3 cups water
Method
Rinse and drain the lentils and rice twice.
In a medium pot, put all the ingredients and 2 cups of water to boil. Once boiled, reduce to low and simmer.
As the water reduces, keep adding ¼ cup at a time (every 5 minutes or so) until all the water has run out or the lentils/rice have softened. Stir frequently so it doesn’t stick to the bottom. This process should take about 20 minutes.
Serve with a dollop of yogurt and chopped cilantro.
