This khicheri is my prescription for all things good and bad. I recently was feeling under weather and a little depressed and was not sure what to make and sure enough this nourishing potful came to the rescue.
Protein packed, light and nourishing this comforting dish does indeed pack a nutritional punch. In this version, with loads of tomatoes and spinach, the dish is iron, potassium and lycopene and a nice dose of carbs. Soft and gooey, it goes down easy, tempered with ghee or even coconut oil, I think I can see why we love this amazing dish so much. I had made big pot of this version and enjoyed this with the kids.
Ingredients:
1 cup of yellow split lentils (moong dal)
1/2 cup of short grained rice (if you are Bengali like me, that means Govinda Bhog) or Basmati
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon red cayenne pepper or to taste
1 cup mixed chopped vegetables (peas, carrots, turnips and cauiflower)
3 cups water
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
For the masala base
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1 or 2 cloves
1 large stick cinnamon
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1 medium sized red onion, chopped
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 medium tomato, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 cup chopped baby spinach leaves
To finish
1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter) (optional)
1 lime
Chopped cilantro
Full recipe: Moong Dal Khicheri