Served as main course. Suitable for vegetarians. A cuisine from West Bengal (eastern India). Durga Puja special recipe.

Indian

Ginger - 20 gm

Garlic - 10 cloves

Cardamom - 6

Cinnamon - 2 sticks (each 2½ cm)

Cloves - 4

Water - 8 cups + 1 teaspoon

Yellow Lentils - 1 cup

Mustard Oil - ½ cup

Bay leaves - 4

Cumin seeds - 2 teaspoons

Onion - 1 (150 gm), finely chopped

Basmati rice - 1 cup, washed

Cauliflower - 300 gm, cut into small florets

Potato - 2 medium (200 gm), peeled and sliced into cubes

Grean peas - 1 cup

Turmeric powder - ½ teaspoon

Coriander powder - 2 Tablespoons

Red chilli powder - 1 Tablespoon

Sugar - 2 teaspoons

Salt - 4 teaspoons

Ghee / Butter - 2 Tablespoons

Make a paste of the ginger and garlic. Grind cardamom, cinnamon and clove separately. Fry the lentils in a dry pan on medium heat. Stir constantly until the lentils are golden brown. Remove from heat and wash the lentils. Heat the oil in a pressure cooker. Add bay leaves and cumin seeds. Fry for few seconds. Add onion and fry until golden brown. Add ginger and garlic paste. Add the lentils, rice, and all spices. Do not add water, ghee/butter and ground spices. Stir constantly to mix well the contents. Add the water with constant stirring. Cover the cooker and let it cook at high heat. After one whistle, cook it for 4 minutes at low heat. Remove from heat and let the khichdi cool down. Open the lid of the cooker and sprinkle ground spices. Melt the butter/ghee and spread evenly on the top. Serve hot, preferably with a selection of fried foods.

You may also be interested in ...