Vegetable Khichuri

Quintessential bangladeshi food. Khichuri. Onto my version of the recipe.


Ingredients

2 cups basmati rice
1 cup red lentil
1 cup yellow moong dal (dry roasted)
1 large onion- finely sliced
2 sticks cinnamon
3 cardamom
1 tsp black cumin
2 dried red chillies
1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
1 head of broccoli- chopped into florets
1/2 green bell pepper- chopped
1/2 red bell pepper- chopped
Oil  (as desired)
Salt (as desired)

Heat oil and add cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaves, dried red chillies and black cumin seeds.

Add sliced onion and brown on medium heat.

Add ginger and garlic paste.

Add turmeric powder.

Add the red and green bell peppers. Mix everything well.

I had washed the rice and lentils and kept it aside. Add it into the pot.

Mix the rice and lentils thoroughly so that it is well coated in all the spices. Add salt.

Legend has it that you are supposed to add water double the amount of rice and lentils. However I always add a cup or two less. Since I took 2 cups of lentils and 2 cups of rice, which totals 4 cups, I am supposed to add 8 cups of water. I only added 6 cups to keep it fluffy. It still wasn't as fluffy as I would have liked, but it works. I don't like that super-mushy khichuri.

 Cover the pot and let it cook at medium low for 15 minutes.

Add the broccoli florets and stir it into the rice and lentil mixture. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes on low.

And it is done! This is one of those sneaky ways I get my hubby to eat his veggies. It is wholesome, tasty and comforting. Oh, I also fried an egg to accompany the khichuri.

We bangladeshis, with our rustic, traditional food, we like crispy fried egg. It has to be crispy. To this day my dad won't eat his omelette unless it is brown enough.