Moong Dal (Yellow Split pea ) Kichidi

Preparing Time: 10 Minutes

Cooking Time : 20 Minutes

Cuisine : North / South  Indian  

This is one simple healthy dish (as all kinds of veggies are added in prep along with lentils ) that everyone must try , as the similar recipe of Pulao contains a lot more calories which takes more time to prepare .

Kichidi is a kind of Pilaf where the rice is cooked in the broth of lentils and vegetables ( may or may not include garlic and onion ) . Here the type of kichidi I am sharing is one of a kind where I have used no onion or garlic or spices except to pepper balls . 

Lentils  used may be  like pigeon pea  or chick pea or beans or  split / whole moong dal  depending upon regions . People even add garma masala or whole garam masala depending upon regions , but the main ingredient which all regions add is ghee or clarified butter . Different traditional cooking cultures even add meat instead of vegetables or along with vegetables .

Today I am sharing a traditional recipe with neither meat nor spices . 

The balancing taste of moong dal , the fragrance of basmati rice , the taste of  veggies   and mainly the melting taste of ghee gives this dish a unique flavor and makes it a must haves in your menu . This can be served hot with curd or pickles or gravies like baigan ka bharta, aaloo ka bharta, tomato chutney,onion or cucumber  raita .

Ingredients:
Moong dal 1/4 cup
Basmati Rice 1 cup
Ghee / Clarified Butter 4 table spoons
Spinach 1/4 cup finely chopped

Potatoes 1/2 cup diced into large cubes

Carrots 1/4 cup diced into small cubes
Green Beans chopped few
Cauliflower florets few / 1/4 cup
Ginger finely chopped 1 table spoon
Curry Leaves Few
Green Chilies according to taste
Salt according to taste
Turmeric 1 to 2 pinches
For Tempering:
Cumin Seed 1/4 teaspoon
Mustard Seeds 1/2 teaspoon
Asafoetida  2 pinches

Bay Leaf 1

Pepper Balls few or 7 to 8 

Cashew Nuts few (Optional)

Procedure : 

Step 1: Rinse and wash the rice and moong dal and soak in 3 cup of water  . Take a pressure cooker add ghee , add in the tempering , when sputters add ginger, chilies and curry leaves.

Step 2: Fry for a minutes or two then add in all the veggies and fry for five minutes.

Step 3: Now add rice , dal give it a good stir , then add  in the water ( water used to soak the rice and dal ) . Toss in salt give a quick stir .

Step 4: Let the water start to boil , then close the lid of cooker and allow to cook until 3 whistles.

Step 5: Let the cooker cool for the pressure to escape , then open the lid give a good stir .

Step 6: Serve hot along with curd or raita  or pickle or curries as mentioned  above .

Notes:

• It tastes best when served hot 
• You can cook the recipe with oil , and then temper it with ghee & cashews  before serving .
• I am out of stock of green peas , so I didn't add them , do add them 
• You can add any kind of veggie while preparing the kichidi like bottle gourd , drum stick or tomato or egg plant 
• You can make it more mushy by adding more water while preparing , the one I showed here is neither mushy nor hard 
• You can replace moong dal with toor dal and add in some tamarind juice along with some spices like nutmeg to prepare Karnataka Special Bisi bele Bath