A delicious, warming and nutritious recipe from Rajasthan, Bajre Ki Khichdi or Bajra Khichdi is made using bajra or pearl millet, rice, and lentils. It is a wholesome dish that is a winter favorite.
My other fav Rajasthani dishes are Panchmel Dal, Bati, and Churma. Do try these as well.
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About This Recipe
Also called as Bajre Ka Khichda or Khich in some parts of Rajasthan, Bajra Khichdi is a type of porridge which is made with Bajra (Pearl Millet), Rice and Moong Dal.
Easy, delicious, and full of nutrition, this dish made from Pearl Millets takes very little time to cook and is perfect to make for your weekday meals. It is also good to include it in your everyday meals, as it is rich in Magnesium which promotes heart health.
It also has potassium and fiber, which are essential nutrients required for our body.
Bajre ki Khichdi is flavored with ginger and green chillies to make it even more delicious. Once it is made, it is topped with lots of desi ghee, which is a great addition in your meals during this season.
The only time-consuming part to make this Khichdi is to remove the husk from the Bajra. Once that is done, this is a very easy and quick recipe to make. If you want to make it more filling, you can add vegetables of your choice too.
Here are some more Khichdi Recipes, that you can enjoy during Winters or just have it for a light meal – Moong Dal Khichdi, Vegetable Oats Khichdi, Jau Moong Dal Khichdi, Moong Dal Daliya Khichdi, and Sabudana Khichdi.
Ingredients
Bajra – Bajra is a very nutritious millet that is a must in Winters in Rajasthan, as it helps to combat the extreme cold. To use Bajra, the husk is removed from the same and then used in the Khichdi.
Dal and Rice – Along with Bajra, Yellow Moong Dal and Rice are added to make Khichdi. You can even use Green Moong Dal to add in this Khichdi. You can even make this Khichdi without rice.
Others – To slightly flavor the Khichda, I have used green chillies, ginger, hing, cumin seeds, and salt.
Step by Step Recipe
Transfer the bajra in a grinder jar and pulse it a few times to make a coarse powder.
Transfer the powder in a bowl and cover with water. The husk starts to float on top of the water. Gently drain the water along with the husk and repeat this process 2-3 times to get rid of all the husk from the bajra.
Add the cleaned bajra in a pressure cooker. Add washed moong dal, rice, salt to taste, hing, cumin seeds, ginger, and green chillies.
Now add water and cover the lid of the cooker.
Pressure cook the khichdi for one whistle on high heat. Now simmer the heat and cook for 10-12 minutes. Remove the cooker from heat and let the pressure release on its own.
Remove the lid and mix the Khichdi nicely using a wooden or wire whisk. Add some water if it’s too dry and cook for a minute. Serve hot with a dollop of ghee, kadhi, jaggery, and buttermilk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bajra grain has a husk around it and it is important to remove it before cooking.
Traditionally, the grain was crushed in a large mortar and pestle and that removed the husk. It was then washed and used in cooking.
In today’s time, when we don’t have the luxury of having large mortar and pestles in our kitchen and limited time at hand, you can do the same process in a mixer grinder as well.
Wash the bajra and add it in the jar of a mixer grinder. Pulse it a few times to make a very coarse powder. Now soak this bajra in water. Husk will start to float on top.
Discard the water with the husk and repeat the process 2-3 times until no husk floats on top of the water. Now you can use this bajra to make khichdi.
These days, bajra khichdi pre-mix is available in many places.
In this mix, the husk of the bajra is already removed and it is then mixed with rice and lentils.
If it’s available where you live, you can use it too.
Just measure out 1 and ¼ cup of this premix and keep the rest of the recipe the same.
Serving Suggestions
Traditionally in Rajasthani households, Bajre Ki Khichdi is served with a dollop of ghee and kadhi, but you can also have it on its own with some ghee and jaggery.
It can also be served along with curd or any Raita of your choice.
I also like to have Papad and Coriander Mint Chutney along with this bajra khichdi.
Variations
Dal and Bajra Khichdi – In this variation, rice is not added in the khichdi. It is made with just the combination of Bajra and Dal. This is also a no onion no garlic version.
Fried Onion Bajra Khichdi – In this recipe, onions are thinly sliced, fried till golden brown, and added to the Khichdi.
Mixed Vegetable Khichdi – To make it more filling, you can even add vegetables in this khichdi such as Potato, Cauliflower, Carrot, Beans, Green Peas, Tomatoes, Onions, etc.
Spicy Masala Khichdi – Along with veggies, you can spice up the khichdi with everyday spices such as red chilli powder, turmeric powder, and coriander powder.
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Recipe Card
Bajre ki Khichdi Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup Bajra
- ½ cup Yellow Moong Dal
- ¼ cup Rice
- Salt to taste
- ¼ tsp Hing
- ½ tsp Cumin Seeds
- 1 tsp Ginger (Grated)
- 2 tsp Green Chilli (Chopped)
- 7 cups Water
Instructions
- Transfer the bajra in a grinder jar and pulse it a few times to make coarse powder.
- Transfer the powder in a bowl and cover with water.
- The husk will start to float on top of the water.
- Gently drain the water along with the husk and repeat this process 2-3 times to get rid of all the husk from the bajra.
- Add the cleaned bajra in a pressure cooker.
- Add washed moong dal, rice, salt to taste, hing, cumin seeds, ginger and green chillies.
- Now add water and cover the lid of the cooker.
- Pressure cook the khichdi for one whistle on high heat.
- Now simmer the heat and cook for 10-12 minutes.
- Remove the cooker from heat and let the pressure release on it’s own.
- Remove the lid and mix the Khichdi nicely using a wooden or a wire whisk.
- Add some water if it’s too dry and cook for a minute.
- Serve hot with a dollop of ghee, kadhi, jaggery and buttermilk.
