food : instant pot khichdi
I always feel so good after eating a bowl (or three) of this dish. It just feels so warm and nourishing. Filling without being heavy.
I will be prepping it to cook in the instant pot at my mother's house for thanksgiving this year (she and the rest of my extended family are not vegan, but my wife, daughter, and I are). It feels like a good meal for the occasion.
There is a lot of variability in this recipe since you can use any mix of grains and veggies (more or less). Whatever you have on hand works. I will list the grains I use, but you can use whatever works for you. The exception to this is the moong dal, which is vital to the taste of the dish.
Ingredients
| Amount | Measure | Ingredient |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Tbsp | Oil (any neutral oil is fine) |
| 3/4 | tsp | Cumin seeds |
| 1 | Bay leaf | |
| Small handful of curry leaves (optional) | ||
| 3/4 | tsp | Grated ginger (or ginger paste) |
| 1 | Small onion, chopped/diced | |
| 1 | Green chili, slit (I use a serano) | |
| 1 | Small tomato, deseeded and chopped | |
| 1/8 | tsp | Turmeric |
| 1 | pinch | Hing (asofoetida) |
| 1/2 | tsp | Salt (optionally more, to taste) |
| 1/2 | Cup | Moong dal |
| 1/2 - 3/4 | CupOther grains (I use a mix of: toor dal, urad dal, basmati rice, oats, and millet) | |
| 4 | Cup | Water |
| The following are optional and can be swapped for any other veggies you like in a similar quantity: | ||
| 1 | Medium carror, chopped, sliced, or cubed | |
| 1 | Small potato, peeled and 1/2" cubed | |
| 8 | French beans/green beans, cut to 1" (I use frozen) | |
| 2 | Tbsp | Green peas (I use frozen) |
Instructions
- Wash and rinse grains. Set aside
- Press "saute" on the instant pot and add oil. Once hot add bay leaf and cumin
- Once cumin sizzles (~30 seconds) add onion and chili. Fry until onion turns soft, translucent, and reduces in apparent volume
- Add turmeric, hing, ginger, tomato, and any veggies (carrot, potato, etc). Saute ~2-3 minutes until tomato turns mushy
- Add grains and saute for another 2-3 minutes, expect things to stick a bit
- Add salt and water. Stir and scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon/spatula. Taste and add more salt if desired
- Cancel saute mode, put on instant pot lid, move steam release valve to "sealing", pressure cook on "manual" mode for 8 minutes
- Once it beeps at the end of the 8 minutes turn off the instant pot by pressing "cancel" (do not leave on warming mode), wait ten minutes and then manually release the pressure by moving the steam release to "venting"
- Open lid and stir. Add water if desired (to adjust consistency)
- Serve, eat, enjoy
Notes
- I've never made this without veggies entirely, but I'm sure you could
- Truly use whatever veggies you like. I believe okra is quite popular in this dish. Bell peppers could also work. Really whatever you like to eat
- In my opinion it tastes good on the soupy side
- It keeps in the refrigerator well, but you may need to add a little water when reheating