Bengali Khichuri is a traditional one-pot dish made with a combination of rice, lentils, certain vegetables and various spices. Khichuri is a distinctive dish in Bengali culture and is often associated with a comfortable meal on a rainy day.
On puja or special occasions, Bengali no onion no garlic khichuri, also known as bhoger khichuri or moong daler khichuri or niramish khichuri, is offered to God. However, the khichuri recipe I'll be sharing today is different from the moong daler niramish khichuri.
This Bengali khichuri recipe is also known as masoor dal (red lentil) khichuri (masoor dal khichdi). This delicious dal khichuri is made by cooking rice and dal in a tomato and onion sauce.
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Why Should You Make Bengali Khichuri?
This Bengali Masoor Dal Khichuri Recipe is
- Easy-to-prepare
- The most comfortable food any day especially during monsoon
- Nutritious and filling
- Budget friendly
- Easy-to-digest
Ingredients
Rice: For Bengali style khichdi recipe, I always prefer using gobindobhog (fragrant rice variety from Bengal) rice which provides a lovely aroma to the dish. If it is not available, then use sona masoori rice or kolam rice for this dish.
Dal/Lentils: As I said it is masoor dal khichidi recipe, so I use masoor dal or red lentils for this dish.
Vegetables: Generally, I add cauliflower and potato in this Bengali Khichuri recipe. I occasionally add green peas, but I avoid adding other veggies like carrot and beans because I enjoy the distinct cauliflower flavor, you might name the dish as alu fulkopi diye khichuri.
Onion-Ginger-Tomato: The base of the recipe contains onion-tomato based masala. Always add freshly prepared ginger paste or grated ginger for the best outcome.
Whole Spices: Jeera aka Cumin seeds, bay leaf, dry red chilli, salt, etc.
Spice Powders: Turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder (optional), etc.
Oil/Ghee: I prefer mustard oil for this recipe. Khichuri is incomplete with a dollop of ghee.
Instructions
Follow step-by-step instructions to prepare this delicious Bengali style masoor dal khichuri recipe.
Wash and soak rice and dal separately for 15-20 minutes.
Cut cauliflower florets in big size and blanch them before using in the dish.
Heat oil and fry potatoes and cauliflowers separately with salt and turmeric powder. After frying golden brown, take them out and keep aside.
Now add whole spices such as cumin seeds, bay leaf and dry red chilli in the oil. Once they start crackling, add chopped onions.
After frying onions for few minutes, add ginger paste, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, green chilli, etc.
Next add chopped tomatoes and cook until they are tender. When oil starts separating, add half a cup of water and cook for few more minutes.
Now add soaked rice, dal and fried potatoes in the cooked onion-tomato based sauce. Add enough water, cover with a lid and let the mixture boil until the rice and dal are tender.
Next add fried cauliflower and add required salt and sugar. When the water in khichuri is drying up, switch off the gas. Add ghee on top and serve hot.
Serving Suggestions
Dal khichuri with onion is best served with dim bhaja (omelette) and papad bhaja. It can also be served with begun bhaja, alu bhaja, beguni, etc. You can also have gorom khichuri (hot) just with a dollop of desi ghee.
Storage
I would recommend making the khichuri fresh and serving it hot. However, you can store leftovers in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Reheat in microwave and enjoy later.
Top tips
- Always use rice and dal in 1:1 ratio.
- The amount of water in khichuri should be three to four times the amount of rice and dal. For example, if you take ½ cup rice and ½cup dal, add 3½ to 4 cups of water. If you prefer thicker consistency add less water and vice versa.
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Materials
- 1 cup Rice
- 1 cup Masoor Dal
- 2 no Potato peeled and cut into halves
- 1 no Cauliflower, small cut into big florets
- 1 no Onion, medium chopped
- 1 no Tomato, small chopped
- 2-4 nos Green Chilli
- 1½ teaspoon Ginger Paste
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Powder
- 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
- ½ teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
- 1½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- Salt to taste
- ¼ cup Mustard Oil
- 2 teaspoon Ghee
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 1 no Dry Red Chilli
- 1 no Bay Leaf
Instructions
- Wash and soak rice and dal separately for 15-20 minutes.
- Blanch cauliflower florets, drain the water and keep aside.
- Heat the oil and separately cook the potatoes and blanched cauliflower with salt and turmeric powder.
- Remove from the pan when golden brown and set aside.
- In the oil, add whole spices like cumin seeds, bay leaf, and dried red chili.
- When they begin to crackle, add the chopped onions and fry till they are transparent.
- Next add the ginger paste, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder, green chili, and salt.
- Then add the diced tomatoes and simmer until they are soft.
- When the oil begins to separate, add half a cup of water and continue to cook for a few minutes.
- In the cooked onion-tomato sauce, add the soaked rice, dal, and fried potatoes.
- Cover with a lid after adding adequate water and cook until the rice and dal are soft.
- Then add the fried cauliflower and season with salt and sugar to taste.
- Turn off the gas when the water in the khichuri has dried up. Serve hot with ghee on top
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