Bengali khichuri with papad
Bengal's khichuri: golden-roasted moong dal and gobindobhog rice cooked soft with ginger, whole spices and ghee, with potatoes, cauliflower and peas. It is the bhog of Durga Puja, made without onion or garlic as here, and the meal of every rainy day, eaten with papad, begun bhaja and often an omelette or a piece of fried ilish. Any short-grain rice can stand in for gobindobhog.
- 1 hTime
- 37 minHands-on
- 4Portions
- 20 gprotein per portion
- 570kcal per portion
Ingredients for 4 portions
- 150 gMoong dal
- 150 gRice, gobindobhog or other short-grain rice
- 250 gPotato, peeled, quartered
- 300 gCauliflower, in large florets
- 1Tomato, chopped
- 1 tbspGinger, grated to a paste
- 2Green chillies, slit
- 2 tbspMustard oil
- 1 tspTurmeric
- 3 tbspGhee
- 2Bay leaves
- 1 tspCumin, seeds
- 2Dried red chillies
- 2 gCinnamon, a 3 cm piece of stick
- 1 gCardamom, 3 green pods
- 3Cloves
- 1 tspCumin, powder
- 1 tspKashmiri chilli powder
- ≈ 1.5 lWater, hot
- to tasteSalt
- 100 gGreen peas, fresh or frozen
- 1 tspSugar
- 3 mlGaram masala
On the side
- 4Papads
Method
- Dry-roast the moong dal in a heavy pot on a medium-low flame, stirring all the time, until golden and nutty-smelling, 5–7 minutes. Tip it into a bowl, add the rice and wash them together in a few changes of water. Drain.
- Peel and quarter the potatoes, cut the cauliflower into large florets, chop the tomato, slit the green chillies and grate the ginger to a paste.
- Heat the mustard oil in the pot until it smokes lightly. Fry the potatoes and cauliflower with a pinch of the turmeric until golden in spots, about 6 minutes, and lift them out.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the ghee to the pot with the bay leaves, cumin seeds, dried red chillies, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. When the cumin splutters, add the ginger paste and fry for a minute.
- Add the drained dal and rice with the rest of the turmeric, the cumin powder and Kashmiri chilli powder and stir for 2 minutes. Pour in the hot water, add salt and bring to the boil.
- Simmer with the lid ajar for 15 minutes, stirring now and then so it doesn't catch.
- Add the fried potatoes and cauliflower, the tomato, green chillies, peas and sugar and stir gently.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 10–12 minutes, stirring gently once or twice, until the rice and dal are soft and the khichuri is thick but still pourable. Add a little hot water if it gets too thick.
- Meanwhile, roast the papads one at a time over a low flame, turning them with tongs, until they blister and turn crisp.
- Stir in the garam masala and the rest of the ghee, cover and leave for 2 minutes. Serve hot with the papads.
