Split Chickpea
Lentil Khichidi
Chef Megha Kohli
“This is one of the oldest recipes being made in my house /family. I learned it from my mother who in turn had learned it from my dadi (paternal grandmother). This is a Channe ki dal ki Khichdi (split chickpea and rice) which is made in my house on all special occasions and festivals. It’s a family heirloom recipe which has been in my family for more than the last 100 years and has been passed down from one generation to the next.
I hope you enjoy making it! This dish is soulfood and comfort food for me. It reminds me of happy memories of festivals, my childhood with my siblings and cousins dressed up in our Indian festive clothes sitting on the dining table laughing, joking and waiting for the khichadi to get ready.
This dish is my childhood in a bowl.
This dish celebrates eating local, eating healthy - split chickpea lentils fall into the lentils category of future 50 foods. Requiring little water to grow, lentils have a carbon footprint 43 times lower than that of beef.
There are dozens of varieties, all with slightly different earthy, peppery or sweet flavours. Lentils are packed with protein, fibre and carbohydrates. “
– Megha Kohli –
Ingredients
5 tbsp ghee (Indian clarified butter)
1½ tsp garlic paste
10 black peppercorns
6 cloves
3 bay leaves
2 black cardamom pods
2 cinnamon sticks
2 chopped onions
3 chopped green chilies
1½ cups channa dal (split chickpeas)
1½ cups rice
1½ tsp red chili powder
2 tsp cumin powder
salt to taste
3 cups water
Method
- Heat ghee in a pressure cooker and then sauté the garlic paste.
- Add all the whole spices and sauté. Add the chopped onion and green chilies and sauté till the onion is translucent.
- Add the channa dal and sauté for 3 minutes
- Now add the rice, the powdered masalas and salt.
- Add the water.
- Shut the pressure cooker and cook on high flame for 2 whistles.
- After the second whistle, lower the flame and let it cook till the 3rd whistle.
- Switch off the gas after the 3rd whistle and open the cooker after a five minutes gap.
- Serve with curd/raita/achaar/any curry.
Try a great side to
accompany your main
