multigrain magic,a khichdi to fall in love with | multigrain khichdi...



The name of a multigrain khichdi may sound like a 'healthy tasting' dish which we all want to cook and eat but never do probably. So many people do not like khichdi very much and many more people cringe at the suggestion of having it with vegetables. It sounds like baby food isn't it.... just take a look at all these grains ...


Assuming you are here because of your interest in healthy food I know you are going to jump at the thought of having around 9 whole grains in one dish and many more vegetable included ... red rice , brown rice , broken basmati (tukda), pearl barley, chana daal (split chickpea), split black gram with skin, whole mung bean, horse gram and red lentils ...

I have tried this khichdi along with pearl millet and some broken wheat too but the above combination works better ... and the addition of fresh green peas makes it even more textured...I made it for some guests too and the khichdi was adopted for life ...yes the feedback i got was that all these grains have been mixed already at their place and they are having the khichdi twice a week.

ingredients....
(5-6 servings)

all the above stated grains and lentils mixed in equal quantities ...2 cups
broccoli and cauliflower cut in florets 4 cups each (cauliflowers are from my garden , see the picture )
green peas 2 cups
freshly made coarse paste of tomatoes 2 cups
carrots medium sized 2 nos.
medium sized celery sticks 3-4 nos.
spring onions lower halves 3-4 nos.
garlic cloves 5-6 nos.
cumin seeds 2+1 tsp
freshly crushed black pepper corns 1 tbsp
red chilly powder 2 tsp
turmeric powder 2 tsp
whole black cardamom 2 nos.
bay leaves 2-3 nos.
ghee or any oil of choice 2+1 tbsp
salt to taste

procedure...

First of all chop the celery , carrot , spring onions and garlic finely , i  prefer chopping them together in my chopper...do as is convenient to you...

I make this khichri in the pressure cooker as it is more convenient. So heat the ghee in the pressure cooker pan and throw in the cumin seeds and wait till they crackle.Add the above chopped celery-carrots-spring onions-garlic mixture...stir fry for a while ...needs not be browned. Add the black cardamom and bay leaves and cook till they all become wilted and aromatic....


Now add the washed and drained grains and pulses mix ... soaking them for an hour or so will be a good idea . Mix everything and let the grains soak in...






Mix everything together and then add the tomato paste , salt and turmeric powder ... add the crushed black pepper corns and the red chilly powder too..







 Add water . 6 cups of water as the khichdi will be soaking a lot of water . See how the grains get submerged and how the coarsely chopped vegetables look in the final cooking mixture... Cover the lid and pressure cook for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile , place a kadhai on the other side of the stove for the broccoli , cauliflowers and the peas to be stir fried ... while the khichdi is cooking in the pressure cooker.


The cooked grains and pulses should look plump and soft when cooked ..not very mushed up but cooked thoroughly . Check the grains and cook once more if they are not mushy when pressed , add more water if required.

Does it sound like a lot of work? I think whenever we cook with a lots of vegetables , it takes some time as chopping the vegetables takes some time if you are not using your machines . This recipe includes many vegetables , the ones chopped in a machine have already been included in the cooking khichdi while the ones who need to remain firm and crunchy in the finished khichdi are cooked separately . So heat just a tbsp of ghee in a kadhai , add a tsp of whole cumin seeds and dunk in all the cut florets into it to fry ... add the green peas too , you may like to microwave the peas if they are not tender ... i did exactly that before adding them to the stir frying mixture... I also added some more chopped garlic and red chilly powder to this mixture as it makes the khichdi very flavorful....


Add the stir fried vegetables to the cooked khichdi and mix well . I like the texture of the broccoli and cauliflower florets crunchy in this khichdi . More so because overcooked broccoli and cauliflowers smell awful to me...and they will make the khichdi unappetizing... the fresh flavors added this way is the right way to bring up the flavors...
Just mix well and serve immediately ... a nice raita and some roasted papad is all that is needed . But i liked it by itself , with plain curds .


You have everything in this bowl of khichdi . What i liked most , that the leftovers are as yummy as the fresh khichdi . Some people like pickles with their khichdi but this khichdi has some aromatic celery and spring onions to make it different from the regular khichdi , so try it with just a bowl of fresh yogurt to start with.

I know this khichdi can be a comfort food for a diabetic too , the taste can be imagined with the ingredients going in it.... try it once and let the goodness of vegetables greet you in the season. Any cucumber family vegetable can be added to this khichri in summers , and that will be a one step dish as those vegetables need not to be stir fried separately... cook them in one go and enjoy a flavorful khichdi...


Comments

  1. woww Sangeeta...its so colorful...lots of healthy ingredients...looks delicious....I can imagine the aroma and the flavor....yummy :)

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  2. Nutrition served in a plate..tats wat it looks even i try these type but i make them into soup .. yummy one..

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  3. the multi grain khuchri I make sometime have 5 grains in this. adding barley and whole mung is a good idea. by the look I can say I will love it.

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  4. This is one healthy dish. Looks delicious. I am just dying to try it out

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  5. yummmyyyyyyyyyyy and so nutitious with all the grains :)

    Bikram's

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  6. My cooker is already giving whistles ;)

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  7. Lovely it and have bookmarked this.
    www.savitharajsspiceland.blogspot.com

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  8. Bookmarked the recipe...
    www.savitharajsspiceland.com

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  9. Wow pls pass me that bowl full of goodness. absolutely i love this kinda meal anytime. :)

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  10. There comes another bowl of yummy proteins in a different taste.. I just saw a sprout salad @ Vatsala's space

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  11. lovely and tempting pictures and inviting dish.
    indu srinivasan
    kattameethatheeka.blogspot.com

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  12. Dear Sangeeta
    Very innovative dish...but wont be able to make it as I dont have any whole grains or use them. May be I will eat when you make it for me .
    Have a nice weekend

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  13. Dera Ushnish...
    I know you are a hardcore non vegetarian so i would make a meat dish for you whenever i do ...khichri is simply not for you :-)

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  14. this looks great what a super healthy dish maybe a little too much fiber for me though my mum in law would love it

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  15. That looks absolutely delicious :)

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  16. @ Rebecca...too much fiber once a week is good . Especially after a day of partying :-)

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  17. This looks so great! So many healthy and tasty grains.

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  18. ummm-ummm..... had this for lunch, minus the veggies except tomatoes, and added stir fried onions and garlic to the cooked khichdi... The grains I used was, white rice, barley, mung daal, channa daal, chilke waali masoor and chilke waali urad daal soaked for some time.... The combo was multigrain khichdi with karela bharta and yam bharta.... I love khichdi and multigrain and spices definitely added to the taste... could you suggest some summer veggies that would add to the flavour of khichdi?

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Anonymous...I wish you had a name here :-)
      The summer vegetables I like in this khichri is all kinds iof summer gurads, even pumpkin and a few drumsticks too. Lots of tomatoes adds to the flavor always. I have loved this khichri with egg plants, mushrooms and tomatoes too.

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    2. This is super Yumm.... Adding gobhi after cooking the khichdi enhances the flavour and takes it to a different level..... I already have demands @ home to make it today or 2morrow again..... Your dishes are a winner for sure, unless I screw them up ;-) - Appy :)

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  19. Dear Sangeeta,

    After having bookmarked this recipe since ages thinking I will make this only once I have all the 9 ingredients in my pantry but somehow never coming around to it.....I finally tried this today with just 5 of them.
    And did I miss the rest 4? No! I swear to God, this is the best khichdi I have ever had in my life!
    But I am going to get the rest 4? Absolutely yes! Its already on my shopping list for tomorrow.

    Even my super-picky-and-anything-gooey-hater-husband loved it and its already a deal to have this once a week going forward. The idea of adding crunchy stir-fry vegetables is gold!

    P.S.- Have u considered patenting this recipe? Trust me, you should :)

    Looking forward to try more of recipes soon!
    Deepti

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    Replies
    1. ha ha..thanks.
      Healthy food is tasty too and this is an apt testimony.

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  20. This sounds yum & looks great ! In Mumbai ,storing so many ingredients is tedious because of space constraint as also the weather.Though winters can be somewhat generous & wastage is less.

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  21. Hi Sangeeta, thanks for sharing nutritious and easy recipes. Can you share recipe for multi grain aata which can be used daily for chapatis. It would be great if you could provide with quantity of each grain

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  22. Hi Sangeeta, thanks for sharing nutritious and easy recipes. Can you share recipe for multi grain aata which can be used daily for chapatis. It would be great if you could provide with quantity of each grain

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