Masala Khichdi is a wholesome, vegetarian, one-pot Indian meal. The spicy, sizzling hot tadka (tempering) is the highlight of this khichdi recipe. Be sure to watch the video!
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What is Khichdi?
Khichdi is a popular Indian one-pot meal. It is a wholesome, vegetarian meal of lentils and rice. There are many types of khichdi recipes followed across India. In certain regions, it has a porridge-like consistency; in others, it is more like a pulao.
Masala Khichdi is one of the many traditional dal khichdi recipe versions. It has lentils, rice, and colourful vegetables. The USP of the masala khichdi is the spicy, sizzling, bold red tadka, which is poured over the warm khichdi before serving.
I love khichdi so much that I have included some recipes in my debut cookbook.
Why You’ll Love This Khichdi
- instant pot friendly
- gluten and nut-free
- easy to cook and digest
- wholesome and vegetarian
- cooking time is under 30 minutes
- a complete, nourishing one-bowl meal
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Rice: Short to medium grain with starch is perfect. I never recommend long-grain rice like basmati for making any khichdi.
- Lentil: I mix pink lentil (masoor dal) and mung bean (yellow moong dal). You can add Bengal gram (chana dal) or Pigeon Peas (toor dal) as well.
- Vegetables: Onion, Tomato, Carrot, French Beans, Green Peas, and Potato are my favourite vegetables in a masala khichdi. You can add pumpkin, zucchini, spinach, cauliflower, or any other easy-to-cook vegetables.
- Spices: Red Chili Powder, Turmeric Powder, Coriander Powder, Garam Masala, Asafoetida (hing), Cumin Seeds, and Salt.
- Cooking Oil: A khichdi tastes best when cooked in ghee (clarified butter). Substitute it with unsalted butter or vegetable oil. Or you can use refined vegetable oil for cooking and ghee for tadka (tempering).
- Other Ingredients: Ginger and Garlic Paste, Dried Red Chili, Garlic Cloves, Water.
Watch Masala Khichdi Video
Serving Suggestion
As mentioned above, masala khichdi is a wholesome, satisfying one-pot meal. It does not require side dishes.
However, here are a few of my favourite Indian condiments I enjoy with my bowl of khichdi – kachumber salad, mango pickle, fried papad, and plain curd.
My Tried and True Tips
- I love vegetables in my masala khichdi: green beans, carrots, green peas, cauliflower, zucchini, capsicum, potato, and spinach. You can also add broccoli, yellow pumpkin, or green leafy vegetables.
- The consistency of a khichdi can be like pulao or like porridge. Hence, adjust the amount of water accordingly. I am sharing a porridge-style khichdi recipe.
- It is a pressure cooker-friendly dish. You can use an instant pot, multi-pot, electric pressure cooker, or a traditional stovetop for cooking this khichdi.
- The tadka of masala khichdi is medium spicy. Reduce the number of chillies according to your taste preference.
More Indian Khichdi Recipes
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Masala Khichdi Recipe
Masala Khichdi is a wholesome, vegetarian, one-pot Indian meal. Easy to make in a pressure cooker or an instant pot.
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Servings: 4
Calories: 353kcal
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- ½ Cup white rice (short to medium grain)
- ¼ Cup yellow moong dal
- ¼ Cup pink masoor dal
- ⅛ Cup vegetable refined oil
- ¼ teaspoon hing (asafoetida)
- ½ Cup onion, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste (see recipe)
- ¼ Cup tomato chopped
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ¼ Cup carrot, diced
- ¼ Cup French beans, diced
- ¼ Cup green peas
- ¼ Cup potato, diced
- 4 Cup water, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala (see recipe)
Ingredients For Tadka
- 2 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 2 dried red chilies
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
Instructions
- Combine rice and lentils in a bowl. Rinse with water 2 – 3 times. Soak in clean water for 15 minutes.
- Set the SAUTE mode of the instant pot for 10 minutes.
- Add ghee to the inner pot. Once the ghee is hot, add asafoetida and chopped onion. Fry onion till it becomes light golden. This takes 3 – 5 minutes.
- Next, add ginger garlic paste, tomato, red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, salt, and cook for 2 minutes to break down the tomato.
- Drain all the water from the soaked lentils and rice. Add them to the inner pot along with the vegetables. Saute until the set timer beeps.
- Add 4 cups of water, garam masala, and stir to combine. Seal the lid of the instant pot. Set the steam valve to the SEALING position. PRESSURE COOK for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, you can either wait for the natural release of steam or do a quick release. I prefer natural release.
- For tadka (tempering), heat ghee in a small pan over the stovetop. Add cumin seeds, garlic, red chilies, and powder. Cook for less than 1 minute. Turn off the heat. Pour this tadka over the piping hot khichdi.
- Serve masala khichdi warm with pickle and curd.
Recipe Notes:
- You can cook this masala khichdi in a pressure cooker as well. It takes 2 whistles over medium heat.
- Adjust the quantity of water according to the desired consistency of the khichdi.
- This is a medium spicy khichdi recipe. Reduce or increase the level of spiciness accordingly.
Nutrition
Calories: 353kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 1204mg | Potassium: 424mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1967IU | Vitamin C: 44mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 3mg
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