Bajre ki Khichdi

This is the plainest dish on the site and quite possibly the best one. Bajra keeps you warm from the inside, which is exactly what it was eaten for across Haryana and Rajasthan through the winter. The ghee poured over at the end is not optional — without it this is worthy but dull, and with it, it is the thing you crave on a cold night.

The one thing you cannot skip is the soak.

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole bajra (pearl millet), soaked 8 hours or overnight
• ½ cup split moong dal, rinsed
• 1 tsp salt, or to taste
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• 4 cups water, plus more as needed
• 3 tbsp Gobind Ghee
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• A pinch of asafoetida (hing)
• More ghee, for serving — be generous

Method

1. Drain the soaked bajra. If you want the traditional texture, pound it briefly in a mortar with a splash of water to loosen the husk, then rinse. This is optional but it makes the khichdi softer.
2. Put the bajra, moong dal, salt, turmeric and water into a pressure cooker. Cook for 5 to 6 whistles, then let the pressure drop naturally. In a pot, simmer covered for about 60 minutes, topping up water as needed.
3. Open, and mash lightly with the back of a ladle. It should be thick, soft and porridge-like, not soupy. Add hot water if it has gone too stiff.
4. Heat the 3 tbsp ghee in a small pan. Add the cumin and let it crackle, then the hing. Pour the whole thing over the khichdi and stir it through.
5. Serve immediately, with another spoon of ghee melting on each bowl.

The ghee note

Bajra is a dry, dense grain and ghee is what makes it palatable — it coats the starch and carries the cumin through the whole pot. Add half in the tempering and half at the table so some of it stays unmelted when it reaches the bowl.

Tips

• Eight hours of soaking, minimum. Under-soaked bajra stays gritty no matter how long you cook it.
• Serve the traditional way: hot khichdi, cold curd on the side, and a piece of gur. The hot-cold, savoury-sweet contrast is the whole tradition.
• It thickens as it stands. Keep hot water nearby.

Substitutions

Bajra flour makes a faster version called kheech, cooked like a porridge in about 20 minutes. For the sweet version, leave out the salt and tempering and stir in gur at the end.

Storage

Three days refrigerated. It sets solid when cold — reheat with plenty of water and fresh ghee.

Serving

Curd, jaggery, a raw onion, and a green chilli. Nothing else needed.

Nutrition

Approximately 340 kcal per serving, based on four servings. Naturally gluten free. Estimated values.