Masala Khichadi

Khichadi is an all-time favorite comfort food in our family. Anytime we come home from a long trip away or after an exhausting day, khichadi and kadhi or chaas (spicy buttermilk) is a satisfying and welcome meal. Previously, we’ve shown you how to make Mung Daal Khichadi – a mild and nutritious meal for babies or great comfort food when you’re feeling under the weather. Here’s a recipe for Masala Khichadi…with a real kick! It’s a great one-pot meal and you still get your veggies and protein in one shot.

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Rice – 1 cup
Toor Daal – 1/2 cup
Water – 3 cups
Oil – 4 tsp
Clarified Butter (ghee) – 2 tsp
Cumin Seeds – 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon Stick – 1 inch piece
Asofoetida – pinch
Raw Peanuts – 2 Tbsp
Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp
Black Pepper – 1/2 tsp
Ground Cloves – 1/4 tsp
Onion – 1 medium, finely chopped
Garlic – 4 cloves, sliced
Green Chilies – to taste, slit
Ginger – 1 tsp, minced
Potato – 1 medium, diced
Frozen Green Peas – 1/2 cup
Salt – to taste
Red Chili Powder – to taste

Method:

1. Combine Rice and Toor Daal and wash until water runs clear.
2. Add 3 cups water and soak for 15-20 minutes (if time permits).
3. Heat Oil and Clarified Butter in a pressure cooker.
4. Add Cumin Seeds and allow them to sizzle.
5. Add Cinnamon Stick and Raw Peanuts. Cook until Peanuts turn light brown.
6. Add Asofoetida, Turmeric Powder, Ground Cloves and Black Pepper. Mix quickly.
7. Immediately add in Onions and stir well.
8. Add Garlic, Green Chilies and Ginger. Mix and cook for about 1 minute.
9. Add Potatoes, Peas, Salt, Red Chili Powder and mix well.
10. Add Rice and Daal with Water.
11. Check the salt, chili, etc and adjust as necessary.
12. Close the pressure cooker, cook until 1 whistle sounds and immediately switch off the stove.
13. Wait until the pressure from the cooker is gone before opening the lid.
14. Serve hot with Kadhi or Chaas.

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43 thoughts on “Masala Khichadi

  1. 6. subtle lower-back tattoos.Let me ask this: should the police be able to walk into EVERY SINGLE HOUSE and rifle through all your papers every single day, Dozens of FBI investigators, Kenyan authorities said 11 suspects were in custody, Or between “proactively” and “actively”?Metro is committed to transparent and responsible use of public resources.: A. “was very different” than the past.“We’ve had the president come to our town three times and it’s been very cordial and there’s been very little disruption and we love to have him.

  2. Hi Hetal & Anuja,
    First of all, thanks for the great recipes. I have tried cooking a lot of your recipes and have enjoyed the dishes every time, and it is safe to say, so did my friends and family.
    I am looking to buy a rice cooker , with timer function and after doing the research, i came across Zojirushi Fuzzy-Logic rice cookers. The reviews are great ,but im not sure if i can use it to cook khichdi or maybe even try cooking biryani in it. Wondering if any of you have had any experience with the same and if so, what is your take on it.
    Also, not sure if you have already done this, but if not, could you pls. make a video where you give pros and cons of different types of pots and pans. Such as the aluminium ones vs the stainless steel vs cast iron vs the nonstick ones.
    Thanks again and my best wishes to you both and your loved ones for a Wonderful Dushehra and Diwali.

    1. Hi Rohith,

      I have a plain jane rice cooker (just a cook/keep warm button) and it works great for khichadi. I do the seasoning on the stove and add all the veggies, give them a quick toss and add it to the rice cooker. Then, I add the washed rice and daal, and finally the spices and water. I let it sit for about 1/2 hour and then turn the rice cooker. I always remember to unplug it immediately when the cooking cycle is over so that the bottom doesn’t burn.

      Thanks for your suggestions and Happy Diwali to you as well.

  3. hi hetal and anuja

    I wanted to thank you both for posting great and easy recipes to follow on your website. My mom would always try to teach me how to cook and learn about indian cooking and well i never got it right but after spending hours and hours watching videos on your website and making the dishes i can now call myself a good cook 🙂 I have gotten so many compliments about my cooking and believe me i always thank you both in my heart every time someone compliments on my cooking.
    Thank you so much and i hope you continue to make delicious dishes and always keep our kitchen’s with lots of flavor 🙂

  4. Hi

    I love this recipe but my khichadi always sticks at the bottom please help have my inlays coming on Saturday and don’t want to embarrass myself or my husband.

    Love your chaas and kadhi recipes – best ever.

    Urja

  5. Hi,
    seen the video..it looks amazingly delicious ..just a query…when u pressure cook the contents of the khichdi..do u keep it on low, medium or high simmer for that one whistle?

    1. Hi Karen,

      We usually cook everything on high when using a pressure cooking but a good rule of thumb is to cook on high if the contents are liquidy when done (for example daals) and medium if the finished product will be dry, like khichadi.

  6. 3 words for u-yummy yummy yummy! Im starting work in a month and would love it if you could could post more easy recipes which consume very little time like this. LOVE u guys
    hope u guys consider my request

  7. I live miles away from home.
    And usually I am a bad cook. But this recipe worked out for me. I ve made it several times till today.
    Infact, Its cooking when I am writing this. lol.

    But turns out very tasty every time.

    Good work guys.

  8. i make theis khicahdi in same way but i add some more veggies carrots, beans, dudhi,brinjal,sometimes it happens in the fridge we have all this left in samll portion so i think this is best recipes to use all left over veggies and it may also happen that what subzi the kids dont eat we can make them eat in this khichadi they wont realise also.
    thanks for sharing ur recipe.

  9. Hey,

    Tried this recipe today.. Tasted fantastic!! Peanuts was too good in this dish.. Keep up the good work!

    I would love to see recipe of Red Velvet cake from you guys!

    Thanks,
    Padma

  10. Hi…I have tried few of your recipes and they turned out fantastic!Tried this one yesterday and it tastes yummy.
    I have also tried your Zucchini salad and its perfect! Can you post some more salads like the Zucchini one as its tastes very different and liked having it hot as well as cold.
    You both rock!

    Thanks,
    Shireen

  11. Hi Hetal / Anuja,

    This is an awesome recepie and I had added some Kaju and some Raisins, and it tasted really good. Also for the “Vaghar” or “Tadka” I had added some Bay leaves and the aroma was just really nice. This was a super hit at my place here. Thanks for posting such good recepies. When ever I wonder what should I cook, I open up your website and checkout new dishes and every time I end up with delicious food. The food tastes far far better than these americanized Indian restaurants :). Thanks again …

    Dhaval

  12. I don’t have a pressure cooker that whistles. I bought it from Bed bath & beyond. Any idea how long I need to cook?

    I am really hoping you would know…thank you. I am very eager to try this dish!!!

    1. Once you figure out when the pressure is built up, good estimation is 5 minutes is equal to one whistle.
      Hope that helps:)

  13. Hi Anupa,

    Sorry to hear about your pressure cooker. With this recipe you can set the heat to between medium and medium-high. Since you had it on low flame, all the water must have evaporated before it had time to build up pressure in the cooker. Let us know if it works for you if you do decide to try again.

  14. Hi
    Tried this for the first time, I used a new pressure cooker, so was not sure how high the flame needed to be. I had it on a very low flame and it took a hour for the whistle to blow. And it was completely burnted on the bottom of my pressure cooker. Any advise please :0(

    Thanks!

  15. Hi Sn,

    You can definitely make this recipe in the rice cooker. The only difference would be to do the seasoning in a separate pan and then add it to the cooker. Water stays the same.

  16. Hi Nasreen,

    You can definitely substitute moong daal though it may not hold up as well as toor. The texture might be a little softer. Never tried with masoor.

  17. U both rock.Good idea for a lunch pack recipe .I could cook in minutes early morning.I don’t use toor dal .Can i substitute with any other dal like masoor or moong dal.Please respond.Keep up the good work.

  18. hi hetal and anuja,

    Just wanted to tell you that u guys are doing an awesome job by practically demonstrating the recipes online. have not come across any website as good as this one.have tried a couple of your recipes and must say they taste so good.
    There’s a real style in the way ull prepare.Fantastic.
    Keep up the good job and all the best.

  19. Hi Sejal, Everything remains the same. The size of the cooker does not alter the time or the quantity of water.

    Enjoy, this is a delicious recipe!

  20. Hi,

    You guys made the khichdi in a shallow cooker, can we also make in a deeper cooker? if yes is the cooking time altered? and what about the quantity of water?

    thanks!

    Sejal

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