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 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 chilies to make it even more delicious. Once it is made, it is topped with lots of ghee, which is a great addition to your meals during this season.
The only time-consuming part to make this Bajra 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.
You can easily find them in the stores nowadays. If you cannot, you can order in from online grocery portals such as Amazon, etc.
Dal and Rice – Along with Bajra, Yellow Moong Dal and Rice are added to make Khichdi. You can use Green Moong Dal to add in this Khichdi. You can even make this Khichdi without rice.
Experiment and add in two or more dal in this Khichdi.
Green Chillies – To add that much-needed spiciness to this rather simple Bajra Khichdi, you can add in some green chilies. You can adjust the amount of green chilies as per your taste.
Skip adding the green chillies, if you are making it for your kids.
Others – To enhance the flavor furthermore, also add in the ginger, hing, cumin seeds, and salt.
You can even add in some vegetables, if you like to make it more filling and wholesome.
How to make Bajre Ki Khichdi?
Wash ½ cup whole Bajra with water a few times. Transfer the Bajra grains to a grinder jar and pulse it a few times to make a coarse powder. Do not over grind. We are doing this process to remove the husk of the Bajra.
Transfer the powder into a bowl and cover it with water. Wait for a few seconds. 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 to a large pressure cooker (3-4 liters). Add ½ cup washed moong dal, ¼ cup rice, salt to taste, ¼ teaspoon asafoetida, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon grated ginger, and 2 teaspoon chopped green chilies to the cooker.
Now add 7 cups of water and mix everything well. Close the lid of the cooker.
Pressure cook the khichdi for one whistle on high heat. Now simmer the heat to low and cook for 10-12 minutes. Remove the cooker from heat and let the pressure release on its own.
Once the pressure is released, open the lid and mix the Khichdi nicely using a wooden or wire whisk. Add some more 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.
Add washed Bajra to 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 cups 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 chaas, ghee, and jaggery.
It can also be served along with fresh yogurt 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 to 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 Bajra 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 chili 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 teaspoon hing
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 2 teaspoon chopped green Chilli
- 7 cups water
Instructions
- Wash ½ cup whole Bajra with water a few times. Transfer the Bajra grains to a grinder jar and pulse it a few times to make a coarse powder. Do not over grind. We are doing this process to remove the husk of the Bajra.
- Transfer the powder into a bowl and cover it with water. Wait for a few seconds. 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 to a large pressure cooker (3-4 liters). Add ½ cup washed moong dal, ¼ cup rice, salt to taste, ¼ teaspoon asafoetida, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon grated ginger, and 2 teaspoon chopped green chilies to the cooker.
- Now add 7 cups of water and mix everything well. Close the lid of the cooker.
- Pressure cook the khichdi for one whistle on high heat. Now simmer the heat to low and cook for 10-12 minutes. Remove the cooker from heat and let the pressure release on its own.
- Once the pressure is released, open the lid and mix the Khichdi nicely using a wooden or wire whisk. Add some more water if it’s too dry and cook for a minute.
- Serve hot with a dollop of ghee, kadhi, jaggery, and buttermilk.
