Oats Khichdi : New Age comfort food

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Oats Khichdi : New Age comfort food

My earliest memories of Khichdi are of my Dadu having a big mound of Chutti Khichdi with at least 4 tablespoons (yupp you read that right, 4 tablespoons) of warm Ghee and I used to think, and have even asked him, how can such a small thin man eat so much ghee. He used to just smile and carry on relishing his Khichdi..
What used to be “sick people” food to me when I was young is now the mother of all comfort foods  and if it is teamed up with some Gujju style Khadhi, it is as much a hit as SRK and Kajol  🙂

Traditionally, Khichdi is nothing but rice and lentils cooked till mushy, seasoned with turmeric and salt and maybe some zeera. Pan India there are a lot of variations of this complete one-pot meal.
Plain, spicy, fluffy or soupy and can be made with any dal(s) available at home. If cooked with vegetables, it does become a complete meal providing carbs, protein, fiber and fat.

Although it is already very healthy and quick to make, I was recently introduced to an even healthier and quicker version. I was at my friend Manju’s place and her mom had made Khichdi with Oats instead of rice.. curiosity led me to tasting it and it was so good that I decided to make my own version the very next day. I used Mung dal coz I had it but like I said you can use any dal you have at home.

Ingredients:
Makes enough for 2

½ Cup Yellow Mung Dal
1 Cup quick cook Oats
Turmeric powder, 2 pinches
Red Chilly powder, half a tablespoon (adjust accordingly to how spicy you want it)
Garam Masala (optional) 1 pinch
1 Medium Onion, finely chopped
1 Big Tomato, chopped
Ghee (or Oil) half a teaspoon
Zeera whole, half a teaspoon
1 Cup Mixed Vegetables (carrots, beans etc. chopped into small bits. I had frozen at home so used those)
Salt to taste
Coriander to garnish
Method
* Thoroughly wash the dal 2-3 times and start to cook on a high flame with about 2 cups of water, salt and a pinch of turmeric powder. Once it reaches a boil, cover it and leave it on a slow simmer. You need to cook the dal till almost done.. not all the way.
* While that cooks, heat the ghee or oil and add the zeera. When that starts to splutter, add the chopped onion and fry till it turns pink. Don’t over cook it or let it turn brown. When done, add the tomato and a pinch of salt to help them cook faster.
* Cook it till the tomato is all soft and mushy and then add the red chilly and the turmeric powder. Fry till the fat separates, stirring to make sure it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
* Check if the dal is almost done. It needs to have a bit of a bite to it and not be all mushy. Take it off the heat.
* Toss the vegetables into the masala mix and fry for 2-3 minutes.Dont need to cook them all the way right now. If adding the garam masala, add it now. I like to use it as the ground up khada masala in it gives a different flavour however if you don’t have any at home skip it. To this add the semi cooked dal with all the water that is left. Don’t throw that water as it has all the nutrients in it.
* Check the seasoning at this point and adjust the taste.
* Tip in the cup of Oats and stir well. You might need to add some more water depending on how soft or whole you like your Khichdi. I don’t like it very mushy so I have used less water.
* The Oats take just about 2-3 mins to cook and you need to stir to make sure they don’t stick.

* Serve hot with lots of fresh coriander and some dahi or raita.

Benefits of Oats: (after reading all this about them I think I should have them everyday now)

1. Provides high levels of fiber and protein with hardly any fats
2. Stabilizes blood sugar and reduces risk of diabetes
3. Apparently the soluble fiber in oatmeal absorbs a lot of water which helps to slow down the digestive process and makes you feel full longer. So works great if you are on a diet.

Chalo banao and tell me how you liked it.