Kichuri (Bengal)

A monsoon special of Bengal, Kichuri is a famous dish throughout India as Khichdi, Pongal, Kedgeree, or Khichra. A cuisine made from rice, pulses, and vegetables, Kichuri has very many variations by itself. Being one of the easiest main courses to prepare, we used to prepare Kichuri on most of our lazy days in Somalia.

Ingredients

Rice 2 cups

Roasted Mung daal

Cauliflower 1 (medium size)

Green peas ½ cup

Potatoes 2 (medium size)

Shallots 2 tablespoons (chopped)

Green chilies 4 -5 (slit)

Turmeric powder ½ teaspoon

Cumin powder 1 teaspoon

Coriander powder ½ teaspoon

Ginger paste 1 teaspoon

Ghee 2 tablespoons

Onion 1 (sliced)

Bay leaves 2 to 4

Cinnamon sticks (small) 4

Green cardamoms 2

Cloves 4

Water as required

Salt to taste

Method §  Wash and soak rice and roasted mung daal for 30 minutes. Govinda Bhog Chaal is the best option among rice to use. If not, you can substitute it with any thin polished rice. §  Bring water to boil in a deep pan; Add rice and daal to the boiling water; Let the rice be half cooked. §  Prepare a paste of salt, turmeric powder, cumin powder, and coriander powder; §  Mix the masala paste to the half cooked rice and continue cooking for 5 to 7 minutes; §  Add green peas, cauliflower, potatoes, shallots, and green chilies to the rice mixture and continue cooking until the vegetables are cooked well; once cooked keep aside. §  Heat a frying pan with ghee and sauté red chilies, cinnamon sticks, green cardamoms, cloves and bay leaves; add sliced onions and fry till golden brown. §  Mix the fried ingredients to the cooked rice/daal mixture and stir well. For the preparation of Pongal (a Tamilnadu version of Kichuri) you can add grated coconut to the above recipe. A slight variation to Pongal and Kichuri is Kedgeree. Kedgeree is believed to be a variation of Kichuri adopted by British colonials. A rough explanation of Kedgeree is the addition of boiled boneless fish flakes to the traditional Kichuri. However, Kedgeree is in existence from early 13th century. If so, what about Kichuri? Kichuri, Pongal, or Kedgeree the dish is best served with fried pappads.