Masala Khichdi

Unlike plain khichdi, this version is cooked with onions, tomatoes, herbs and everyday Indian spices for more flavor. The rice, lentils and vegetables are pressure cooked together until soft and lightly mushy. This comforting and healthy Vegetable Khichdi is perfect for a simple lunch or dinner and tastes best with curd, papad or pickle.

This vegetable khichdi is a delicious variation of a Khichdi that is slightly spicy and includes mix veggies. Warm, comforting and nutritious. I started cooking this particular masala khichdi many years back and still do.

It is one of our favorite rice-lentils based one-pot recipe. Any khichdi variety is quick to prepare in a pressure cooker and so is this vegetable khichdi.

Thus a better cooking option after a tiring day. In the same way, I also make Chana Dal Khichdi, Bengali Khichdi and Bajra Khichdi in a pressure cooker. They are practical one-pot dishes that save time on busy days.

Use the vegetables you have at home or the ones you prefer. Carrots, green peas, cauliflower and green beans are classic choices and work very well in this masala khichdi.

I also like to add small brinjals, broccoli, capsicum or zucchini at times for some variation. You can mix and match based on the season or what’s sitting in your fridge.

Serve vegetable khichdi hot or warm with a side salad, pickle, roasted papad or yogurt.

How to make Masala Khichdi (Stepwise)

• 1. Take ⅓ cup broken rice or any regular rice and ⅓ cup moong dal (husked split mung lentils) in a bowl. Rinse with water a couple of times. Drain the water and keep the broken rice and lentils aside.

Also chop the veggies and keep them aside.

• 2. Heat 1 tablespoon ghee or oil in a pressure cooker. Add the following garam masala or whole spices:
• 2 green cardamom.

Saute till the spices crackle and become fragrant.

• 3. Then add ⅓ cup chopped onion.
• 4. Saute till the onions turn translucent stirring often.
• 5. Add 1 teaspoon of ginger garlic paste.
• 6. Stir and saute for a few seconds or till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
• 7. Add ¼ to ⅓ cup chopped tomatoes and 1 to 2 green chilies (chopped).
• 8. Saute for a minute or two.
• 9. Next, add 1 to 1.25 cups mixed chopped vegetables such as carrots, cauliflower, capsicum, green peas and French beans, or use vegetables of your choice.

Also add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ¼ teaspoon red chili powder and a pinch of asafoetida (hing). For a more spicy masala khichdi, add ½ teaspoon red chili powder. Sauté for a minute.

• 10. Add the rice and moong dal.
• 11. Mix the rice and moong dal with the rest of the ingredients.

Cooking vegetable khichdi

• 12. Add 2 cups of water. This much amount of water gives a vegetable khichdi which has a consistency not like a porridge, but not even dry like a Pulao.

For a more liquid consistency in the khichdi, you can increase the amount of water to 2.5 to 3 cups.

• 13. Season with salt as per your taste.
• 14. Pressure cook for 14 to 15 minutes or for 7 to 8 whistles. When the pressure falls down on its own, then only remove the lid.
• 15. 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. You can also garnish it with a few coriander leaves.

Helpful Tips

• The entire recipe has been made in a pressure cooker. Though you can also make it in a pan adding water as needed. Just soak the rice+mung lentils in water for 30 minutes before cooking.
• You can add veggies you like or the ones you want to use up quickly. The veggies that can be added are potatoes, cauliflower, green peas, carrots, french beans, brinjal, capsicum (bell pepper), cabbage, broccoli and zucchini.
• Usually, the veggies that I add in this masala khichdi are the usual mix of carrots, capsicum, cauliflower, peas, potatoes and french beans. However, I also add one more veggie and that is brinjal or aubergines. So whenever there are brinjals in the fridge, I add them to the masala khichdi. In the recipe post, I have not added brinjals. But if you do have them, then do add. They give a very nice taste in the masala khichdi.
• Depending on the amount of water added, you can make a porridge-like consistency or keep a pulao like consistency in the masala khichdi. So choose whatever you prefer.

Instructions

preparation

making masala vegetable khichdi

Dassana’s Notes

• You can add veggies of your choice.
• You can vary the amount of spices as per your taste buds.

Nutrition

Masala Khichdi recipe from the blog archives was first published on February 2016.