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This comforting Moong Dal Khichdi is a nutritious Indian style savory porridge made using rice and lentils. It is a very light and simple one-pot meal.

Khichdi Recipe

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 273kcal
Author: Neha Mathur
Khichdi is a rich, nutritious 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.
Print Recipe
US Customary - Metric

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.

Notes

You can make a simple khichdi by just using rice, water, salt and turmeric powder.
Vegan - To make a vegan version of the same, you can use vegetable oil in the place of ghee. All other ingredients are vegan and gluten-free.
Here, I have used whole spices such as cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns, and cumin seeds, but sometimes I also like to keep it simple with just cumin seeds and hing. 
You can even roast the moong dal a bit before adding it to the khichdi, it adds to the flavor.
You can make it more nutritious by adding vegetables of your choice such as carrot, cauliflower, potato, beans, etc.
If you have stomach related issues or making it for any other health concerns, reduce the amount of spices, and make it a little watery. 
You can use any other grain such as oats, broken whole wheat, brown rice, or millets in place of rice to make this Khichdi.

Nutrition

Calories: 273kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 100mg | Potassium: 113mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 50IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 2mg