Masala Khichdi is a flavorful vegetable khichdi made by sautéing onions and tomatoes with spices, then cooking rice, moong dal and mixed vegetables together until soft. The masala base gives this dish a mild spicy taste compared to plain khichdi. You can adjust the consistency from soft and porridge-like to slightly separate grains. Serve this vegetable khichdi hot with curd, papad or pickle for a wholesome meal.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 2
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: North Indian

Ingredients

  • ⅓ cup broken rice (or any regular rice)
  • ⅓ cup moong dal ((mung lentils))
  • 1 tablespoon ghee
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 small to medium tej patta ((indian bay leaf))
  • ½ inch cinnamon
  • 2 cloves
  • 2 green cardamoms
  • 1 medium onion (chopped or ⅓ cup chopped onion)
  • 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste (or 3 to 4 medium garlic and ½ inch ginger - crushed to a paste in mortar-pestle)
  • 1 small to medium tomato (or ¼ to ⅓ cup chopped tomatoes)
  • 1 or 2 green chilies (- chopped)
  • 1 to 1.25 cups mixed chopped veggies (– carrots, green peas, cauliflower, potato, french beans, capsicum or preferred veggies)
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
  • 1 pinch asafoetida ((hing))
  • 2 cups water
  • a few chopped coriander leaves for garnish (optional)
  • salt as required

Method

preparation

  1. Take rice and moong dal in a bowl. Rinse with water for a couple of times. Drain and keep aside.
  2. Also chop the veggies and keep aside.

making masala vegetable khichdi

  1. Heat 1 tbsp ghee or oil in a pressure cooker.
  2. Add the following garam masala or whole spices - 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 1 small to medium tej patta, 1/2 inch cinnamon, 2 cloves, 2 green cardamoms. Saute till the spices crackle and become fragrant.
  3. Add 1/3 cup chopped onion and saute them till they turn translucent.
  4. Add 1 tsp ginger garlic paste. Stir and saute till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
  5. Add 1/4 to 1/3 cup chopped tomatoes and 1 to 2 green chilies (chopped). Saute for a minute or two.
  6. Then add 1 to 1.25 cups mixed chopped veggies along with 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1/4 tsp red chili powder and a pinch of asafoetida. For a more spicy khichdi, add 1/2 tsp red chili powder. Saute for a minute.
  7. Add the rice and moong dal. Mix the rice and moong dal with the rest of the ingredients.
  8. Add 2 cups water. This much amount of water gives a masala khichdi which has a consistency not like a porridge, but not even dry like a pulao. For a more liquid consistency, you can increase the amount of water to 2.5 to 3 cups.
  9. Season with salt. Pressure cook for 14 to 15 minutes or for 7 to 8 whistles. When the pressure falls down on its own, remove the lid.
  10. Serve vegetable khichdi hot drizzled with a teaspoon of ghee if you prefer. Accompany a side veggie salad, raita, pickle or plain curd by the side.
  11. You can also garnish it with a few chopped coriander leaves if you want.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.