This is a healthy, quick and delicious one pot Oats Khichdi recipe is made with quick cooking oats, mix vegetables, moong lentils, herbs and spices. Makes for a comforting and nutritious meal.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 5 minutes
  • Cook time: 15 minutes
  • Total time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 2
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: North Indian

Ingredients

  • 1.5 tablespoons ghee (or oil - any neutral flavored oil)
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 tej patta (small-sized, (Indian bay leaf))
  • ⅓ cup chopped onions (or 1 medium onion, chopped)
  • ½ teaspoon finely chopped ginger (or ½ inch ginger - finely chopped)
  • ½ teaspoon chopped green chilies (or 1 green chilli- chopped)
  • ⅓ cup tomatoes (or 1 small to medium sized tomato)
  • ⅓ cup chopped carrots
  • ⅓ cup chopped potatoes
  • ⅓ cup green peas (- fresh or frozen)
  • ⅓ cup moong dal ((split and husked moong lentils))
  • ⅓ cup quick cooking oats (or rolled oats)
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder (or cayenne pepper)
  • 2.5 cups water (or add as required, for rolled oats add 3 cups water)
  • salt (as required)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves

Method

  1. In a 2 litre pressure cooker, first heat ghee. Then add tej patta and cumin seeds. Stir to mix. Let the cumin seeds crackle.
  2. Add chopped onions.
  3. Stirring often sauté onions till they turn translucent and soften.
  4. Then add finely chopped ginger and green chilies. Mix and sauté for a few seconds.
  5. Next add chopped tomatoes and sauté until they soften.
  6. Add the chopped mix veggies. You can add veggies of your choice. Sauté veggies for a minute.
  7. Then add moong dal which has been rinsed in water a few times. Mix very well.
  8. Next add oats. If you prefer, you can rinse the oats a few times with water and set aside before adding it to the sautéed ingredients.
  9. Also add turmeric powder and kashmiri red chili powder.
  10. Mix very well and add water. Season with salt and mix again. Check the taste of water and it should taste a bit salty.
  11. Cover the cooker with its lid and pressure cook on medium heat for 7 to 8 minutes.
  12. When pressure settles down on its own, then only remove the lid and stir the oats khichdi.
  13. Serve oats khichdi hot or warm with a garnish of chopped coriander leaves. You can accompany some salad, pickle, raita, yogurt or drizzle some lemon juice on top of it.
  14. Oats khichdi is best had hot. On cooling the consistency thickens and can become lumpy. If there are any leftovers add some water to the khichdi in a saucepan or small pot to get desired consistency. Heat on a low heat on the stovetop and break the lumps (if any) carefully with a spoon as the khichdi warms or gets heated on the stovetop.

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.