Vaghareli Khichdi

When it comes to the dinner meal, I end up making khichdi at least once a week. Not Just because we like it but it is healthy, light on stomach and quick to make. Here I have used frozen pack of fresh tuvar dana (green pigeon peas). It is also known as tuvar lilva. This adds unique taste and flavor to the khichdi. Other than tuvar dana, I have added only onion and tomatoes. If you want you can add other vegetables like carrot, potato, cauliflower, eggplant, capsicum etc. And the addition of peanuts gives nice nutty taste with some crunchy texture vs mushy texture of vaghareli khichdi. For making any khichdi, I always use short grain rice (gujarat 17 verity). You can use any broken rice aka tukda rice or khichdi rice. Check out other khichdi recipesMoong dal khichdi // Gujarati saadi khichdi // Masala khichdi // Vegetable khichdi

Step By Step Photo Instructions:

1. Combine rice and toor dal in a bowl. Wash or rinse then 2-3 times with water.
2. Now soak in enough water for 15 minutes. Meantime chop the onion, tomato and keep rest of the ingredients ready.
3. Take ginger, garlic and green chili in mortar and pestle.
4. Crush them. Alternately use ginger garlic paste and chopped green chili.
5. Heat the oil in a pressure cooker on medium heat. Once hot add mustard seeds and let them pop. Once they splutter, add cumin seeds and let them sizzle.
6. Now add whole spices (cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon stick and dried red chili). Saute for 40-60 seconds. You will get nice aroma of the spices.
7. Now add onion and crushed ginger, garlic, chili.
8. Mix and cook till onion becomes soft and translucent or light pink in color.
9. Now add peanuts
10. and mix.
11. Also add fresh tuvar dana and tomato.
12. Mix and cook for a minute.
13. Now add salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and garam masala.
14. Mix well and cook for 1 minute.
15. Now drain the water for dal-rice mixture and add soaked dal rice.
16. Mix well.
17. Add 2 ½ cups of fresh water and mix.
18. Cover the cooker with lid, put the weight on and cook for 3-4 whistles. Then turn off the stove and let the pressure go down by itself, and open the lid. Mix with spatula and serve hot/warm. While serving, add dollop of ghee on top for the best taste. If you are vegan then skip. Serving suggestion: serve this gujarati vaghareli khichdi with gujarati kadhi, papad and pickle as a complete, healthy meal. Instead of kadhi, you can have bowl of plain yogurt (curd) on side. Did you try this vaghareli khichdi recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a review in the comment section below.