“Kya Birbal ki khichri paka
rahe ho?”
How often had you heard
this comment whenever you were slow in getting the work done?
Well, according to the
legend, during the time of Nawabs in Awadh, Birbal, one of the wisest and the
wittiest men in the court of the grand Mughals had taken infinitely long time
to cook a perfect khichri. It had to take long because he had substituted
almonds slivers for rice and pistachio granules for the green moong lentils.
That rich khichri could
pass for Mughals and elite but for a common person like me, a khichri is just
the mixture of lentils and rice with the tadka of mustard seeds to be eaten
with curd and papad during the time the stomach is too bad to digest any spicy
food.
This delicacy is enjoyed in
every culture, mostly during fast when cereals and grains are taboo and
Saboodane ki khichri is preferred. In the month of Magh, it is considered
obligatory for every pious Hindu to eat ‘Maash ki Khichri’ at least once during
the month.
Indeed! This is one dish that is relished in all parts of India. You travel to the different
parts of India, you get to see the variation of this dish.
Go to Hyderabad, and you will be served breakfast with Khichri and Kheema, go to Rajasthan and you will have an unusual Baajre ki Khichri served with glass of Lassi, In Bengal it has its own version of Khichuri ritually prepared in a celebratory way which is in no way inferior to pulav or briyani.
Go to Hyderabad, and you will be served breakfast with Khichri and Kheema, go to Rajasthan and you will have an unusual Baajre ki Khichri served with glass of Lassi, In Bengal it has its own version of Khichuri ritually prepared in a celebratory way which is in no way inferior to pulav or briyani.
And this exactly is the
dish I enjoy during DeviMata festival, when I go for langar (community meals) and this delicious kitchri is served with fried eggplant, lime pickle, and
rosgollas.
It’s easy to make too
All we need is the right ingredients and the will to cook
Step one
Soak the mixture of 1 cup rice
and 1 cup moong dhal for half an hour
Step two
Collect all the
ingredients.
Step three
In a pan, heat 1 tbsp oil,
add 2 bay leaves, 1 inch cinnamon sticks, 2 split green cardamoms, 2 cloves, 1
tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp crushed garlic, 1 tsp crushed ginger, 3 chopped green
chilies, stir and add 1 finely chopped onions, 1 chopped carrot, 1 chopped
potato, 100gms peas, 2 finely chopped tomatoes.
Step four
Add the mixture of soaked
rice and lentil, add salt, 1 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp red
chilie powder, mix and add 2 glasses of
water and let it cook
Step five
Mash it when cooked; keep
it covered on a low flame for 5 minutes
Garnish with lime juice and
coriander leaves
Serve with deep fried eggplant and deep fried rice wafers.
Remember: Khichdi can made
into a gooey texture, a porridge like consistency, by increasing the quantity
of water by approx 2-4 cups
