AF Rice and Mung Bean Khichri

Moving forward from my previous post ‘AF Mashed Potatoes with a twist…‘, this rice and mung bean dish tastes particularly good on a cold winter evening. Soul-satisfying, nutritious, packed with flavor and above all AF – Allergy Friendly. ‘Khichri’ has been a part of Indian cuisine for over 700 years – whoa! 

Since, I just could not come up with a name for the dish in English that would reflect the true nature of the dish – I threw it out as a question to my Facebook friends.  So, this post is an ode to all the fun names they came up with…Niv, a most creative food blogger of Panfusine came up with ‘Kedgeree’, the British dish that traces its roots back to the India Khichri and uses fish and rice. Mohita, my high school pal, names it ‘Rictle’ – Rice + Lentil, dear Indu called it the ‘Rice Porridge’, my cherished undergrad friend Helen wondered if ‘Rice Polenta’ should be the way to go and Kamy coined a real cool name – the ‘Indypot’ or Indian hot pot 🙂 Finally, decided to stick with the original name as suggested by the guys. They made school a barrel of fun but stuck to tradition when it came to dish-naming – Navin, a grad school pal and Vivek, an undergrad friend 🙂 Thanks all – given the various names, even a first-time taster can hazard a guess as to what the dish is going to taste like…

Ingredients:

1. Yellow split mung bean: 1/2 cup
2. Rice: 1/2cup (preferably Basmati rice)
3. Oil: 1/2 tbsp
4. Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp (optional)
5. Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp (optional)
6. Curry leaves: 7-8 (optional)
7. Freshly crushed peppercorn: 1/4 tsp
8. Salt: to taste

Steps:

1. Wash and drain the mung bean and rice mixture.
2. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed quart vessel. Add the cumin seeds and curry leaves to the heated oil and stire till the cumin seeds become a darker brown.
3. Add the rice and mung bean mixture and stir for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add 3 cups of water and the tumeric powder to the mixture. 
5. Bring the water to a boil and then turn it down to a simmer. Cover it leaving a ent for the steam to escape.
6. Stir the mixture every 5 minutes. It will be cooked in 25 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Add 1/2 cup – 1 cup water more if a more gooey texture is desired.

Serve it hot with mashed potatoes.