MORINGA KHICHDI, how to make a healthy khichdi with drumstick leaves

 MORINGA LEAVES!!!!!

It contains no harmful cholesterol, is loaded with several Vitamins, Calcium, Potassium, Iron, Magnesium and Phosphorous...

It protects and nourishes skin and hair....

Treats Edema...

Protects Liver...

Prevents and treats Cancer...

Handles stomach upset in a beautiful way...

Fights food borne bacterial infections...

Prevents rheumatoid arthritis...

Is great in treating the mood and nervous system disorders...

Protects the Cardiovascular system...

Treats diabetes...

Treats asthma...

Prevents kidney stones...

Reduces High blood pressure...

Improves eye health

Treats anemia and sickle cell disease...

I have already posted various recipes with Moringa leaves...

Moringa Rava  dosa

Drumstick leaves dosa

Drumstick leaves powder

Moringa adais

Moringa koottu

Moringa curry

This Khichdi recipe is protein loaded too, with the goodness of Tur and Moong dhals. It turned out to be very tasty too.

Ingredients

Moringa leaves - 2 - 3 cups

Rice - 1/2 cup

Moong dhal - 1/4 cup

Tur dhal - 1/4 cup

Water - 4 cups( it’s better to add 3 while cooking, then add according to the consistency)

Sambar powder - 1 tsp

Small onions - 1 cup

Garlic - 4 - 5 pods

Tomatoes - 3, chopped fine

Salt to taste

To season

Cooking oil - 2 tsps

Ghee - 2 tsps

Hing powder - 1/4 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

Coarsely powdered pepper

Methi seeds - 1 tsp

Broken red chillies - 2 to 3

Recipe Cuisine: Indian; Category: Lunch/Dinner

Prep time: 20 - 25 mts; Cooking time: 20 mts

Serves 2 - 3

Take Rice, Tur and Moong dhals, wash well

Soak in hot water for 30 to 45 minutes

Drumstick leaves cleaned, washed and drained

Take a pressure cooker, heat with oil and ghee, season hing and turmeric powders, mustard, jeera, methi and pepper powder

After the mustard seeds splutter, add the red chillies too, so that they won't turn blackish

Now add the onions and garlic pods, they can be chopped too….. flames on the lowest, saute well

Now add the chopped tomatoes, continue sauteeing

Add sambar powder

Add the moringa leaves too and …..

Now add the washed and soaked rice and dhals

Salt to taste

Add 4 cups of hot water, cover the lid, and after 1 whistle, keep the flames on the lowest and leave for 8 - 10 minutes. Let the pressure release by itself,.

This is how it looks after opening, the whole house wafting with the mixed flavors!!

If need be, pour 1/2 cup hot water (I didn't have to) and mash well. Like Venpongal, this too proved to be  a real delicacy, so soothing and comforting for the throat!

Serve this power-packed Khichdi with chips, papad, raita or khadi!!! 

This post first appeared in www.malpatskitchen.com

DHAL KHICHDI, how to make rice and lentil mashed up rice with spices

In a restaurant in Shirdi, I tasted this khichdi.
I have posted several other khichdi varieties:
Green moong khichdi
Swaminarayan khichdi
Palak Khichdi
Sprouted green gram Khichdi
Vegetable khichdi
Panch prayag khichdi
Please spare some time to check all the above khichdis, they are all really yummy comfort bowls!!

Ingredients

Raw rice - 3/4 cup

Split moong dhal - 3/4 cup

Water - 4 1/2 cups

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Ghee - 5-6 tsps

Pearl onions - 12, chopped

Tomatoes - 2, chopped

Salt to taste

To season

Jeera - 1 tsp

Coarsely powdered pepper - 1 tsp

Green chillies, slit - 2-3

Broken red chillies - 2-3

Cardamom - 3

Cloves - 3

Tej patta/bay leaves - 2 small pieces

Ground ginger - 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves a few

Recipe cuisine: Maharashtrian; Category: Lunch/dinner

Prep time: 10 mts; Soaking time: 30 mts; Cooking time: 10 mts; 

Serves 3

Rice and dhal washed well, and soak in the measured hot water, along with turmeric powder

Add the chopped pearl onions and tomatoes, and pressure cook for 4-5 whistles. Remember to add 1 tsp ghee also, this helps in preventing the dhal from over flowing

Cooked to perfection!!!

Mash with a ladle and add salt to taste

Keep some hot water handy, add roughly a cup to bring the Khichdi to desired consistency, because as it cools down, it will become thicker.

All the above mentioned seasoning ingredients seasoned in ghee

and added

Mix well

This is the final thadka/seasoning, just before eating. In 1 tsp ghee, add ginger paste and curry leaves, 

and add

Serve this yummy Dhal Khichdi with any raita, or some tangy Yellow  Pumpkin pachadi, or some Aloo methi

This post first appeared in www.malpatskitchen.com

GREEN MOONG KHICHDI, how to make khichdi with green gram dhal and rice

Here's a Khichdi recipe, again from the Heritage-rich Gujarat, which I tasted there in an upscale restaurant.
You can check my other Khichdi varieties:
1. Gujarati Khichdi
2. Sprouted green gram khichdi
3. Palak khichdi
4. Swaminarayan khichdi
5. Pancha prayag Khichdi
The sprouted green gram khichdi is like pulav in texture and this Khichdi is like Ven pongal in  texture.
This can be called an Inseparable Combo also, along with Palak kadhi
Please check my other Inseparable Combos

Served with Palak kadhi (recipe to follow)

Ingredients

Rice - 1/4 cup + 2 tbsps

Green gram - 1/4 cup

Water - 2 cups

Pearl onions - 6

Tomato - 1, chopped

To season

Ghee - 3 tbsps

Jeera/cumin - 1 tsp

Cardamoms - 2

Cloves - 2

Bay leaf - 1

Ginger - a small piece, chopped fine

Slit green chillies - 2-3

Curry leaves - a few

Recipe cuisine: North Indian; Category: Lunch/dinner

Prep time: 10 mts; Soaking time: 3-4 hours; Cooking time: 30 mts

Serves 2

Rice and green gram dhal measured and taken in a vessel

Washed well, and soaked in hot water for 3-4 hours

Onions and tomato chopped

added to the rice and dhal, to which, the measured water is added, and all pressure cooked for 20 minutes, after the first whistle, keep on the lowest, and cook.

Cooked and ready

Mash well

Keep some hot water handy, to make the consistency thinner, you will definitely need to add some water

All mashed well, and looking like our "rasam saadham"

All the seasonings done in ghee

and now, the khichdi is also added, salt to taste added too

All mixed well, and allowed to simmer for 3-4 minutes

Serve this extremely tasty, comfort food, khichdi, with the even tastier Palak kadhi

This post first appeared in www.malpatskitchen.com

SWAMINARAYAN KHICHDI, how to make Akshardham khichdi

Was so blessed to be in Akshardham in Ahmedabad.....was so taken aback at the size, cleanliness and their water show...this being my first visit...Also, in their Premvati restaurant, tasted this temple prasaad, their famous khichdi, also called Swaminarayan khichdi or Akshardham khichdi....
For those of you, who haven't heard about Swaminarayan....he was an ascetic and a yogi, who renounced everything in his young age, and went in pursuit of a suitable Guru...many believe, he was the incarnation of Lord Badrinath.....
A staff was so kind enough to share this wonderful  recipe with me, out and out in hindi, and I quickly jotted down in a piece of paper, so that I will not forget anything...here I am, reliving in my memory of this superb, fantastic visit..........and also documenting this sacred, divine recipe......so healthy.......it is definitely a comfort food...
Please check my other Khichdi varieties:
Gujarati khichdi
Pancha prayag khichdi
Palak khichdi
Sprouted green gram khichdi

Ingredients

Raw rice/basmati rice - 1/2 cup

Tur dhal - 1/4 cup

Water - 3 1/2 cups

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Peanuts - 1/4 cup, soaked over night, pressure cooked

Veggies (shown above), yellow pumpkin, potato, carrot, fresh peas and beans, all chopped - 1 1/2 cups

Tomato - 1, chopped

Salt to taste

To season

Cooking oil plus ghee - 3 tbsps

Bay leaf - 1-2

Hing powder - 1/2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 3/4 tsp

Jeera/cumin - 3/4 tsp

Red chillies - 2, broken

Cloves - 2

Cinnamon - 3 small bits

Star anise - 1-2 small bits

2-3 green chillies and a small piece ginger pulsed

Curry leaves - handful

Recipe Cuisine: Gujarati; Category: Lunch/dinner

Prep time: 10 mts; Cooking time: 25 mts

Serves 4

Measured rice and dhal taken, with turmeric powder

Ginger and green chillies

Crushed/pulsed

Rice and dhal pressure cooked

Soaked peanuts also pressure cooked, with some water, which we can use to adjust the consistency of the khichdi

Rice and dhal mashed

Mashed rice and dhal and cooked peanuts added , not wasting the  water, and look! the consistency has become right now.

Veggies cooked for 3-4 whistles

Cooked vegetables and salt to taste added

All mixed well

Seasonings done in cooking oil and ghee

allowed to splutter

and added to the khichdi mixture

In 1/2 tsp oil or ghee, saute the curry leaves and tomato, tomatoes need not become mushy..just have to shrink a bit, that's all.

and add

Serve this healthy khichdi, loaded with proteins, really really hot-hot, with  kadhi.

This post first appeared in www.malpatskitchen.com

Notes

* This is not a very spicy khichdi. If you want it to be spicier, you can add some slit green chillies. But, this is the word-to-word recipe, told at Akshardham.

* Tomatoes can be sauteed along with the seasonings too

* Some might think,why can't we cook the veggies along with rice and dhal. That's not advisable, since, while mashing the rice and dhal, the veggies also will get mashed up, they will lose their beautiful shape.