Toor dal khichdi

Toor dal khichdi, also called arhar dal khichdi is a light, simple one-pot comfort food of India made with split pigeon peas and rice. The dish is flavored with a few basic Indian spices. If you are looking for a comforting vegan or vegetarian meal recipe that can be enjoyed in every season then this Toor dal khichdi recipe is a great option.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings

Calories 303kcal

Author Vandana Chauhan

Equipment

1 Pressure cooker stovetop or electric (instant pot)
Knife
Chopping board
Spatula
large bowl to soak rice and lentils

Ingredients

½ cup short grain rice or medium grain rice
½ cup toor dal (arhar dal)
1 small red onion finely chopped
1 medium tomato finely chopped
1 green chili finely chopped
½ inch piece of ginger finely chopped or grated
7-8 curry leaves
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ tablespoon coriander powder
½ teaspoon red chili powder
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
⅛ teaspoon asafoetida
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon cooking oil of choice
4.5 cups water or as required to get the desired consistency.

Instructions

Start the preparation for making toor dal khichdi by mixing rice and toor dal in a large bowl. Wash well and then soak in water for around 15 minutes or until you chop the vegetables for the khichdi.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add cumin seeds and black mustard seeds.
When the seeds start spluttering, add asafoetida and curry leaves. Saute for around 10 seconds.
Add chopped onion and cook until the onion starts turning brown.
Add chopped ginger and green chilies and saute for a few seconds
Add coriander powder, red chili powder, and turmeric powder. Saute for another few seconds.
Next, add chopped tomato and salt. Cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until the tomatoes turn mushy.
Strain the soaked rice and lentils. Discard the water in which they were soaked. Add the rice and lentils to the pressure cooker. Saute for a minute.
Add water and mix. Put on the lid of the pressure cooker and cook on medium heat till 3 whistles. Allow the pressure to get released naturally.
Once the pressure gets released, open the lid. Add chopped cilantro and mix.
Serve hot. Add a dollop of ghee on top, if you are not vegan.

Video

Notes

- Always use short or medium-grain rice to make khichdi. Long-grain rice like basmati rice is not suitable to make it as you won't get the same creamy texture that's required in a khichdi if you use long-grain rice.
- You can adjust the amount of water to get the consistency of khichdi you prefer. Generally, khichdi has a porridge like consistency but you can add more water if you prefer a thinner consistency.
- You can make toor dal khichdi with vegetables by adding chopped vegetables of your choice. Some vegetables that taste good in khichdi are potatoes, carrots, green peas, green beans, cauliflower, or broccoli to khichdi. If adding vegetables, don't chop them into very small pieces otherwise they will melt in the khichdi.
- Add some spinach to this recipe to make palak khichdi. Other leafy greens like fenugreek leaves, mustard greens, or spring onion can also be added.
- To give this arhar dal khichdi a taste similar to sambhar rice, you may add 1 tablespoon of sambhar powder to it. You can also tamarind paste to it.
- If you don't have a pressure cooker, a regular pot with heavy bottom can also be used to make khichdi. It will just take more time around 1 hour to cook toor dal khichdi without a pressure cooker. If using a regular pot, soak rice and lentils for a longer period i.e. at least an hour to fasten the cooking process. Also, add more water (around 7 cups) in that case.
- More recipe tips and tricks are shared in the post above, please follow them to make this recipe.

Nutrition