Yellow Moong Dal Khichdi is a nutritious and comforting Indian-style savory porridge made using rice and lentils. It is a very light and simple one-pot meal. Here is how to make it (vegetarian, gluten-free).
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About Yellow Moong Dal Khichdi
Khichdi, also called Khichadi and Khichuri, is a satisfying and heartwarming one-pot porridge made in almost all Indian households.
The name Khichdi was derived from the Ayurvedic word ‘Khicca’, which means a dish that is made with rice and legumes.
It is my go-to meal for extremely busy and hectic days; my family loves it as much as I do. You need less than 30 minutes to make it, and the outcome is so delicious that you would lick your hands.
It is made with rice and various dals spiced with whole spices and spice powders. In this post, I share a recipe made using yellow moong dal.
You can make it in 2 ways: Plain and Masala.
Plain Khichdi is perfect for serving an ailing person. It is light on the stomach and easily digestible. It is also perfect to give to babies and toddlers.
Masala Khichdi, on the other hand, has a robust flavor from spices.
Khichdi can be made in an instant pot or a stovetop pressure cooker.
Here are some more khichdi recipes for your comforting meals
Ingredients
Rice and Dal – Rice and Dal are the two main ingredients of any Khichdi, as the word itself means the mishmash of two or more ingredients.
Here to make this Khichdi a wholesome dish, broken basmati rice and dhuli moong dal have been used. You can also use any other Dal or a mix of two to three dal to make a variation of the same.
Onions – Thinly sliced onions are used, which adds a delicious crunch and taste in this Khichdi. Let them brown a bit, for that yummy caramelized flavor.
A variety of vegetables can also be added in it, that add to the nutritional value of this dish.
Green Chillies – As we are not adding red chili powder in it, we will add some whole slit green chilies to add a little spiciness. If making for kids, you can skip adding green chilies.
Whole Spices – For whole spices, I have used cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns, and cumin seeds. You can even add bay leaf and dry red chilies for an added flavor.
When added into hot ghee, they release a nice flavor and aroma which enhances the taste.
Ghee – Make this Khichdi only in ghee, for a rich taste. If you want it to be vegan, you can use oil instead.
Other Ingredients – You will also need coriander leaves, turmeric powder, salt, water, and lemon juice. The addition of these ingredients enhances the flavor of this dish, making it even more delicious.
But you can even avoid all the other ingredients and just make it with just 5 ingredients – dal, rice, ghee, salt, and water.
This recipe is just my way of preparing it and believe me it will just change your idea of that boring Khichdi and you will make this one again and again.
How To Make Rice Moong Dal Khichdi
With Spices
Wash and soak rice and lentil in enough water for 20 minutes. Heat ghee in a pressure cooker.
Add cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns, and cumin seeds and let them crackle for a few seconds.
Add onion and green chilli and fry till onions turn slightly brown.
Drain the lentil and rice and add in the pressure cooker along with turmeric powder, salt, and water.
Cook until rice and lentils are nicely cooked. ( I cook for approximately one whistle on high heat and then 3 whistles on low heat ) Add more water if required.
Heat ghee for tempering in a pan. Once the ghee is hot, add cumin seeds and let them crackle for a few minutes.
Pour the tempering over khichdi. Garnish with lemon slices, golden fried onions, and fresh coriander.
Frequently Asked Questions
While this khichdi recipe uses yellow moong dal, you can use white or black urad dal, toor dal, chana dal, or pink masoor dal.
To make a vegan version, use oil in the place of ghee. All other ingredients are vegan and gluten-free.
You can add green peas, potatoes, carrots, spinach, green beans, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes, sweet corn, fenugreek leaves, etc, to make this khichdi recipe more wholesome.
You can substitute your regular rice with brown rice, broken wheat, couscous, or quinoa.
For babies, cook the dal and rice with salt, ghee, turmeric powder, and vegetables. Add a little more water to make it thinner. You can feed this to babies over 8 months and toddlers.
Serving Suggestions
There is a saying in India “Khichdi ke char yaar, papad, chutney, dahi, achar”. This saying says that Khichdi has four friends: papad, chutney, yogurt, and pickle.
Khichdi tastes delicious with a dollop of ghee but when served with these 4 things, its taste is taken to another level.
You can serve it with plain yogurt (dahi, curd) or a raita of your choice. Try Carrot Raita, Cucumber Raita, Pahadi Kheere Ka Raita, Palak Raita, Roasted Beetroot Raita or Boondi Raita.
Chutneys like Green Chutney, Rajasthani Garlic Chutney, Guava Chutney, and Tomato Chutney are some of my favorites to serve with it.
I love topping my khichdi with Crispy Fried Onions (Birista). Try it once.
Kadhi Khichdi is a popular combination in Rajasthan and Gujarat. Try my Gujarati Kadhi recipe.
Storage Suggestions
Khichd tastes best when served fresh. However, if you have leftovers, store them in the fridge in an air-tight container for about 2-3 days.
Khichdi tends to thicken when stored. So add some water and mix well before reheating in a microwave or a pan over the stovetop.
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Recipe Card
Yellow Moong Dal Khichdi Recipe (Plain + Masala)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Ghee
- 2 – 3 Cloves
- 2 inch Cinnamon
- 4 – 5 Black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
- ½ cup Onion (Thinly sliced)
- 2 Green chilli (Slit into half)
- ½ cup Rice
- ½ cup Dhuli Moong Dal / Split hulled green gram
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
- 4 cups Water
- ½ Lemon (sliced)
- ½ cup Onions (Golden Fried)
- Fresh coriander
For tempring
- 1 tablespoon Ghee
- ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
Instructions
- Wash and soak rice and lentil in enough water for 20 minutes.
- Heat ghee in a pressure cooker.
- Add cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns and cumin seeds and let them crackle for a few seconds.
- Add onion and green chili and fry till onions turns slightly brown.
- Drain the lentil and rice and add in the pressure cooker along with turmeric powder, salt and water.
- Cook until rice and lentils are nicely cooked. (I cook for approximately one whistle on high heat and then 3 whistles on low heat)
- Add more water if required.
- Heat ghee for tempering in a pan.
- Once the ghee is hot, add cumin seeds and let them crackle for a few minutes.
- Pour the tempering over khichdi.
- Garnish with lemon slices, golden fried onions and fresh coriander.
- Pour some more ghee on top.
- Serve it with papad, coriander chutney, curd and pickle.
Anindita Adhikary
This recipe is my saviour. It’s a all time hit. Simple and yummy. Thanks a ton
Neha Mathur
Thanks you very much 🙂
Antonet Roajer
A simple and comfort dish!!