The quickest way to cook masala khichdi, a perfect winter comfort food

Khichdi is infamous for being tasteless and that it is to be eaten only by people with stomach problems or patients who have been recommended a light diet. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Khichdi can be made in a very delicious manner and that too in a bare minimum time. It is quick and easy to make and makes for a perfect comfort food to warm up your winter evenings. Let’s take a look at how to make masala khichdi!

Khichdi is without a doubt one of the healthiest dishes out there. It is healthy and extremely scrumptious when served with a spoonful of ghee or a trickle of lemon pickle. Masala khichdi or vegetable khichdi is also a delicious way to add some spark to your regular khichdi. On top of all this, khichdi is also the easiest to make. It doesn’t require a whole lot of ingredients and can be made within 10-15 minutes.

Health benefits of khichdi are many as it is packed with many of our daily required nutrients and is great for our digestive system. It is one of the most recommended things when someone is having stomach problems. Khichdi is easy to digest, keeps us full for a longer time period and hence promotes weight loss. It is great to detoxify and also provides you with energy to carry on with your daily activities.

Here’s how to make masala khichdi:

Ingredients:

* 1/2 cup rice
* 1/2 cup soaked moong dal
* 1 onion
* 1 tomato
* 1/2 capsicum
* 1 small bowl peas
* 1 green chili
* 1 small carrot
* 1 each of bay leaf, cardamom, cinnamon and clove
* Spices like turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt, garam masala, hing and jeera
* 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
* Coriander leaves

Method:

1. Take a pressure cooker and heat some ghee in it. Then add some jeera to it.

2. Once the jeera crackles, add hing (for better digestion), bay leaf, cinnamon, clove and cardamom to it and saute for a minute or two.

3. Then add green chili, ginger garlic paste and onions to it. Saute the onions until they turn golden brown.

4. Now, add the chopped tomato and cook until the oil separates from it.

5. Once the tomato is cooked, add all the other vegetables and saute for another 1 minute.

6. Add all the spice and cook on low flame for 3 to 4 minutes, so that the spices are cooked well.

7. Now, add the rice and moong dal and mix them well.

8. Add 3 ½ cups of water, coriander leaves and cover the lid.

9. Cook on medium flame for 5 whistles.

10. Your masala khichdi is ready, serve it with ghee or pickle or curd!