Apparently the famous Italian painter and sculptor Michelangelo said, ” I am still learning”…at the age of 87. The one person who I think fully epitomised this was my Grandma (Paternal Grandmother). She never shied away from learning new crafts, new games she found exciting or mentally stimulating rather or just about any random new stuff that caught her fancy till the time she was alive. What’s even more amazing is the fact that there never was a matter of hesitation or concern from whom she was going to learn and even could approach a kid unabashedly. That quality of hers I reckon is quite commendable.
Life, after all is a bouquet of our learnings. The more you learn, the bigger and beautiful the bunch becomes. In my endeavour of learning new things with each passing day, I always think of my Grandma and her infectious enthusiasm to master any new craft impeccably.
A new and easy dish, a comfort food for many that I learned recently somehow made me reflect on those memories.
In a recent visit to my homeland, Odisha, I gorged on to various kinds of native food I longed to have. One day, the cooking help back home cooked this different variant of “Khichdi” (A dish cooked with rice and lentil together) which was not only lip smacking but with a wee bit of modification could easily be passed off as a “Pulao”. The Khichdi was so delicious that I scoffed it all down in no time. Needless to say, the taste lingered on my palate for long. I immediately asked for the recipe and believe you me, I have already cooked this delight a couple of times. Oh BTW, did I tell you, after much contemplation and after a few minor addition to this simple khichdi, I renamed it as “Khichdi-Pulao”. I feel, this name justifies the dish more.
Read on for the recipe!
KHICHDI-PULAO
INGREDIENTS:
- Long Grained Rice – 2 small cups
- Moong Daal (Split yellow gram) – 1. 5 cups
- Bay leaf – 1
- Desiccated Coconut – Half of one medium sized coconut
- Black peppercorns – 1 teaspoon
- Cumin seed – 1. 5 teaspoons
- Black Cardamom – 1
- Green Cardamoms – 5-6
- Cinnamon stick – 1
- Turmeric powder – 1.5 – 2 teaspoons
- Ghee – 3-4 tablespoons
- Cashew – 10 pieces
- Raisin – 2 tablespoons
- Sugar – 1.5 tablespoons
- Salt to taste
METHOD OF COOKING
- Wash rice properly. Keep aside!
- Boil water in a container / vessel. Once the water starts to bubble, add turmeric powder and give it a quick stir. Now add cinnamon sticks, cardamoms (both variants) and bay leaf in it.
- Add rice in the the water and meanwhile dry roast the moong dal (split yellow grams) in the medium flame till it starts to turn a pale golden brown (Be careful when you dry roast and don’t over do it ) and becomes fragrant.
- Add the dry roasted lentil in with the rice, salt to taste and give it a quick stir.
- Once the rice and lentil seem to have been cooked, cover the container with a lid and drain the water (Just in case you don’t know, the method is similar to cooking rice by using draining method).
- Add desiccated coconut and sugar. Mix well.
- Put for about a teaspoon of ghee in a small pan. Roast cashews and raisins in it and keep aside.
- In the same pan put 1 teaspoons of ghee again. Add cumin seeds and black peppercorns. once, cumin seeds start to change colour, pour the mixture over the khichdi.
- Add some more ghee atop the rice and give it a final mix. cover the lid so that the Khichdi – Pulao soaks in all the flavour. Garnish it with a tad bit of chopped coriander leaves before you serve!
Being an Odia, I love relishing this “Khichdi – Pulao” with the famous Odia delicacy called “Dalma”. But, it can be savoured with a number of other dishes as well. Having flavoured hung curd alongside can also be a great combination. Oh yes, just in case you’re wondering, adding of dry fruits and whole Indian spices (bay leaf, cinnamon stick and cardamoms) transformed this khichdi into a pulao which is full of aromatics and is a true delight to grub onto.
This “Khichdi-Pulao” is a very simple but wholesome meal in itself. Be with assortments or without it, the heavenly taste will surely linger on your palate, like it did when I tasted it for the first time ever. I seriously hope you all like the dish as much as I did. Also, during the summers, it makes for a perfect and simple lunch option.
P.S. As uncanny as it may sound I had no clue before I started writing the blog post that today is my Grandma’s death anniversary until my mom called me to inform. She always remains in our hearts forever.
Until next time, Happy Munching & Keep Smiling! 🙂
Love
Shobhna
Feelings On Platter 