Masala Khichdi is a complete meal in itself. Prepared with rice and lentils, and tempered with onions, tomatoes, garlic, chillies and ginger. Simple, healthy, wholesome and a complete comfort food.
Khichdi is the ultimate Indian comfort food. Most of the Indians grew up eating khichdi! I remember while growing up if anyone was feeling slightly sick or had an upset stomach, my mum would cook khichdi that day. khichdi is not only rich in proteins but also rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals. According to Ayurveda, khichdi is easy to digest so it rests the digestive tract while nourishing the tissues of the body hence one of the favourite foods for detoxing or recovering from an ailment. Khichdi ranks really high in my list of comfort foods. Give me a bowl of warm khichdi drizzled with ghee accompanied with pickle and yogurt- and I am in food heaven. There is something about the simplicity of khichdi that makes it comfort food for not just me, but so many Indians across the globe.
This version is a spiced-up recipe of the humble khichdi. Khichdi is tempered with a simple masala of onions, tomatoes and spices making it flavourful, fragrant and more delicious. I have broken the preparation into two parts – cook the basic khichdi, and the second part is the tempering. In my opinion cooking it in two stages allows for more flavours to develop. Khichdi is a vegetarian recipe and to make it vegan you can skip the ghee.
Simple, delicious and quick- a perfect weekday or weekend meal!
