It has been a while since I last blogged.   Today I am here to share with you a quick and easy, one dish meal.  Chana Dal Khichdi is a quick and easy recipe that can be served anytime of the day.  It can served for breakfast,  if one doesn’t mind eating rice for breakfast, or for brunch, lunch or dinner.   It can be served with omelet or pachi pulusu.  Pachi pulusu is raw tamarind water seasoned with fresh roasted green chilies, onions and ginger chopped, and tempered with mustard, cumin, garlic and turmeric.  I will share the recipe for pachi pulusu very soon.  I usually eat my khichdi  without any side dish and it tastes just fine.

I am sending this khichdi to Srivalli, for her Rice Mela, to Taste Palettes for her Vegan Ventures and to Briciole for her My Legume Love Affair event, started by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook.

Total Time: 25 – 30 minutes
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 20-25 minutes
Serves: 2

• 2 tbsp Oil
• 2 Cardamons
• 2 Cloves
• ½” Cinnamon Stick
• ½ tsp Saha Jeera or Jeera
• 1 Bay Leaf and Biryani Flower
• 1 small Onion sliced
• 4 – 6 Green Chilies slit vertically into half (adjust to taste)
• 1 ½ tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
• Pinch of Turmeric Powder
• Salt to Taste (according to taste)
• 1 ½ cup Rice washed (measuring cup that comes with the rice cooker)
• ½ cup Chana Dal (measuring cup that comes with the rice cooker)
• Cilantro for garnish

• Wash rice and soak it. In a separate microwave safe bowl, wash chana dal and microwave for 4-5 minutes until dal is semi cooked.
• Slice onions and cut the green chilies.
• In a pan, heat oil and add cardamon, coves, cinnamon, saha jeera, bay leaf and biryani flower.
• Add onion and saute until translucent.  Add green chilies and ginger garlic saute until rawness of ginger is gone.
• Add turmeric, salt, rice and chana dal and saute for a minute or 2.
• In an electric rice cooker container, add 3 cups of water and transfer the rice mixture to the vessel.  Rice+Chana dal and water ratio is 1 cup of rice+chana dal : 1½ cup water.   Sprinkle cilantro on top of it and switch the cooker on.  One can cook the khichdi on stove top too.  I prefer the rice cooker because I don’t have to keep an eye on it while it is cooking.  Once the cooker shuts off and khichdi is done, let it sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

• Yesterday, I didn’t soak the rice before cooking. When I am not in a hurry, I usually soak the rice for at least 10-15 minutes and no more than 30 minutes. When I soak the rice, I reduce the quantity of water I use to cook the rice. I use 1 cup rice+dal : 1 1/3 cup water.