Maharashtrian Khichdi: Recipe by Simintini Patil

When I saw Simintini talk about this Maharashtrian Khichdi on Twitter, my first instinct was to ask for the recipe, and 10 minutes later there it was in my inbox.

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Simintini is a foodie who tries out new recipes that we food bloggers post, and then shares the results. For me, it is heartening to have instant feedback on my work. 🙂

It is also my pleasure and privilege this week to try one of Simintini’s recipes on this Sunday afternoon in what turned to be a hectic week and even busier weekend.

What intrigued me about this recipe for the Maharashtrian Khichdi is the use of Kopra and warm spices such as cloves and cinnamon which are so welcome in the slightly nippy weather we are having. I also had the Indrayani variant of rice at home, and so this dish turned out to be fragrant as well.

I used split moong with skin to make this khichdi; you can make it with regular moong dal as well.

As recommended by Simintini, I had this delicious Khichdi with Papad and Pickle.

Do try my recipes for Moong Dal Palak Khichdi cooked in buttermilk, Balaee | Himachali Khichdi with Chana, Qabooli | Hyderabadi Khichdi with Chana Dal, Pulagam | Andhra Khichdi with Moong, and of course, Ven Pongal | Katte Pongali.

How to Make Maharashtrian Khichdi

Serves: 4

Time: 30 mins

1. Rice – 1 Cup
2. Moong Dal – 1/3 Cup
3. Jaggery – 1 tsp
4. Hot Water – 3.5 Cups
5. Salt to Taste
6. Tempering/Tadka:
   1. Ghee – 3 tsp
   2. Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
   3. Shahjeera – 1/2 tsp
   4. Cumin Seeds, Jeera – 1/4 tsp
   5. Red chillies – 2 to 3
   6. Bay leaf  – 1
7. For the Masala:
   1. Kopra, Dry Grated Coconut – 1/2 Cup
   2. Cloves – 3
   3. Cinnamon – 1 inch piece
   4. Coriander Seeds – 2 tbsp
   5. Cumin Seeds – 1 tbsp

Method to Make Maharashtrian Khichdi

1. Wash the rice and dal well under running water.
2. Set aside in a colander to drain.
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3. Making the Masala:
   1. Over low flame, dry roast each of the ingredients—coconut, dhania, jeera, cloves and cinnamon—separately. Each ingredient needs a different time to roast properly and so it is better to roast them separately.
   2. Set aside the ingredients to cool.
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   3. Grind to a powder. I ground the masala a little too much and so it became a lump because of the oil in the kopra; thankfully, it did not affect the taste.
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4. Making the Khichdi
   1. Heat 3.5 cups of water till it starts simmering.
   2. In a pan, over medium heat, melt the ghee.
   3. Add Shahjeera, red chillies, cumin seeds, and bay leaf
   4. Stir-fry till the cumin seeds just start to change colour.
   5. Add the turmeric and stir-fry for a couple of seconds.
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   6. Add the washed and drained rice and dal and mix well.
   7. Add the powdered masala.
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   8. Stir-fry for 1 minute so that the masala is well-mixed.
   9. Add the hot water, jaggery and salt.
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   10. Cook on high flame for 10 minutes. Mix every 2 minutes so that the mix does not stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.
   11. Turn the heat to low.
   12. Cover the pan and cook till done. Once again, mix at regular intervals so that the dish is evenly cooked and does not burn.
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   13. Drizzle some ghee.
   14. Serve the Maharashtrian Khichdi hot with papad and/or pickle.

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Recipe for Maharashtrian Khichdi

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Maharashtrian Khichdi

Aruna

This Maharashtrian-style Khichdi uses Kopra (dry coconut) and some wonderful warming spices to add a level of oomph to the plain moong dal khichdi.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Course Brunch, Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine Indian, Maharashtrian

Servings 4 People

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 Cup Rice (~225 gms) See Notes
• 1/3 Cup Moong Dal (~70 gms) See Notes
• 1 tsp Jaggery, Gur
• 3.5 Cups Hot Water
• Salt to Taste

For Tempering/Tadka:

• 3 tsp Ghee
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric, Haldi
• 1/2 tsp Shahjeera
• 1/4 tsp Cumin Seeds, Jeera Jeera
• 2 to 3 Red chillies
• 1 Bay leaf

For the Masala:

• 1/2 Cup Grated Dry Grated Coconut, Kopra (~50 gms)
• 3 Cloves
• 1 inch Cinnamon
• 2 tbsp Coriander Seeds
• 1 tbsp Cumin Seeds

Instructions

 

• Using a colander, wash the rice and dal well.
• Set aside to drain.

Making the Masala:

• Over low flame, dry roast each of the ingredients—coconut, dhania, jeera, cloves and cinnamon—separately.
• Cool and grind to a powder

Making the Khichdi

• Boil 2.5 cups of water and let it simmer.
• In a pan, over medium heat, melt the ghee.
• Add Shahjeera, red chillies, cumin seeds, and bay leaf and stir-fry for a few seconds till the cumin starts to change colour.
• Add the turmeric, and the drained dal and rice and stir-fry for a couple of seconds.
• Add the washed and drained rice and dal and mix well.
• Add the powdered masala and stir-fry for 1 minute so that the masala is well-mixed.
• Add the hot water, jaggery and salt.
• Cook on high flame for 10 minutes. Mix every 2 minutes so that the mix does not stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.
• Turn the heat to low.
• Cover the pan and cook till done. Once again, mix at regular intervals so that the dish is evenly cooked and does not burn.
• Drizzle some ghee.
• Serve the Maharashtrian Khichdi hot with papad and or pickle

Notes

• I used Indrayani rice, a variant of Maharashtra’s famous Ambemohar rice, to make this Khichdi. You can use any rice.
• I used split moong dal with skin, you can use skinless moong dal as well.

 

Keyword Khichdi, Maharashtrian Khichdi

Tried this recipe?Do let me know how you liked it @aahaaram or tag #aahaaram!