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.
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.
Notes
Use a large pressure cooker to make khichdi otherwise water starts to come out of it.You can add turmeric to the khichdi if you wish to.This khichdi tends to thicken once it starts to cool down. So if you are not serving it immediately, then add some boiling water to thin it down and heat until nicely warmed before serving.