Friday, June 19, 2009

Moong dal khichdi

This is an easy and fast dish made with rice and lentils combined and cooked together.

Materials:

- 1/2 moong dal (mung bean lentils, split), 1/2 rice mixture (to serve two, 1/2 cup of each is plenty)
- 1 clove garlic
- pinch of heeng (asafoetida)
- 1/4 teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)
- 1 teaspoon oil per cup of dal/rice mixtrure

Preparation:


You will want to ensure that the dal (lentil) is free of grit; the occasional little stone - about the size of the bean itself - will occasionally slip through the cleaning/packaging process. Once clean, soaking the lentils in water for about an hour will help shorten cooking time, but is not essential.

Heat oil in a deep saucepan, or dutch oven. Lightly brown the garlic. Add jeera and heeng. Stir this mixture - and don't be too alarmed at the smell; raw heeng powder is smelly and when initially added to hot oil - it will give off a fairly fetid pong. Just make sure you have the doors to your other rooms shut and that the kitchen is well-ventilated. It is momentary though, lasting just a few minutes...

Now add the rice and dal mixture and saute (just as you would for a risotto) for 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Now add water (about 2x the rice/dal mixture). Stir well. Bring the mixture to a boil, stir again and cover. Cook on low/medium heat until done (check if the lentils are cooked at about about 25 minutes - if they are, it's ready). Fry fresh or dried chili peppers in a tablespoon of ghee and pour on top just before serving.


Serving:

Serve with any or all of the following: papad (poppadums), tomato chutney, plain yogurt, raita (whipped yogurt with diced onions, cucumber, tomato).

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I was born and raised in India and attended school and college there. In May 2007, I completed my PhD (in Neuroscience) at the Center for Neural Science at New York University and stayed on there as a postdoctoral fellow until early 2009. Currently (as of 2025), I am in the Department of Neurosurgery at Stanford University.