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It took me a while to realise that khichri was something that was actually worth writing home about. When I was growing up, khichri was something that we ate when we were sick. It was cooked with almost no masalas, and I often thought those days that it was a good impetus to get well soon. It tasted so bad that you didn’t want to be ill for a day more than necessary.
That was when I thought the khichri was merely a coming together of rice and lentils. Many years, and many khichris later, I have come to the conclusion that it was actually a genre in itself. You can make a thin gruelly khichri, or a thick and mashy one. It can be plain, with just a dollop of ghee, or with a variety of vegetables such as peas and cauliflowers. And if you really want it exotic, it can come nestling meat or fish.
During the Pujas, when khichri eating is a must — it forms a part of the prasad too — I would suggest that you go the whole hog, and conjure up some khichri dishes that are as delicious as they are exotic. I asked four chefs known for their Bengali cuisine to give me a recipe each. Rakhi Purnima Dasgupta, the owner of Kewpies, came up with a mangshor khichri, or a lamb khichri. Chef Utpal Mandal of Hotel Hindustan International gave me a recipe for a duck khichri, which his mother used to cook especially for her brother whenever he visited.
Chef Rupam Banik of Peerless Inn suggested that we try out his shrimp khichri. For vegetarians, Chef Sushanta Sengupta of 6 Ballygunge Place presented a recipe of khichri cooked with three kinds of dals.
The great thing about khichri is that you can eat it just like that. Add a drop of ghee on top, and then just dig in with a pickle by the side. But Bengalis like their food to be elaborate, so khichri also comes with a variety of side dishes. You can eat it simply with papads, fried potato juliennes or fritters of all kinds — from cauliflower florets and pumpkin flowers to onion rings and eggplant wedges. Those who like their fish can eat it with a crispy fried rohu.
But the ultimate is a deep fried piece of hilsa, along with hilsa roe fried with onions and chillies. And if you are up to it, just eat your khichri with some hilsa oil.
You can’t go wrong with khichris. Call in the neighbours and try these recipes out on them. It will be a good end to the four day blast.
Chingri khichri with egg
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Ingredients (To serve 4-6)
• 250gm Gobindo bhog rice • 100gm channa dal • 100gm masoor dal •10gm whole cumin seeds • 5gm red chilli dry • 25gm chopped garlic • 25gm chopped ginger • 200gm shrimp, cleaned •5gm turmeric powder • 15gm garam masala powder • 5gm coriander powder • 5gm cumin powder • 2 bay leaves • Salt, to taste • 50ml oil • 15gm chopped coriander
Method
Heat the oil. Add the bay leaves, cumin seeds and whole red chilli. Put chopped garlic and chopped ginger. When the garlic is brown in colour, add shrimps. Cook for five minutes. Add rice, channa dal and masoor dal, salt, turmeric powder and garam masala powder. Add water and simmer till the rice and dal are cooked. Remove from heat and garnish with chopped coriander. Serve with pickle and roasted papad.
Teen Daler khichri
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Ingredients (To serve 2-3)
• 100gm Gobindo bhog rice • 30gm moong dal (roasted) • 30gm masoor dal • 30gm channey ka dal • 2 onions (medium) • 2 potatoes • 1 grated coconut • 2tsp turmeric powder • 2 bay leaves • 1tsp chilli powder • 1tsp whole cumin seeds • 1 small cardamom • 1 small piece cinnamon • 1tsp garam masala powder • Garlic paste, of 6 cloves • Ginger paste, of 1-in piece • 4-5 green chillies • Oil, ghee, salt and sugar, as required
Method
Wash and drain the rice, masoor dal and channey ka dal. Roast the moong dal. Chop the onions and slit the green chillies. Cut the potatoes into four pieces each. Heat 1tbs oil and 1tbs ghee in a pot.
Add cumin seeds, bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon and sauté the chopped onions, green chilli, ginger and garlic paste and grated coconut. Now add warm water and turmeric. Add channey ka dal and after 10 minutes add moong dal. After another 10 minutes add masoor dal. Add water, which should be 2-in above the ingredients in the pot. When the rice and dal are semi-cooked, add potatoes, salt and sugar. Take another pan and heat some ghee. Add cumin seeds, bay leaf, chilli paste and turmeric paste. Mix with the khichri and serve hot.
Duck khichri with egg
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Ingredients (To serve 4-6)
• 900gm duck (cut into 12 pieces) • 4 boiled duck eggs • 250gm moong dal • 350gm Basmati rice • 40gm garlic paste • 30gm ginger paste • 150gm onion sliced • 10gm salt • 4 bay leaves • 2gm cumin seeds • 5gm turmeric powder • 5gm red chilli powder • 5gm green chilli • 20gm sugar • 50ml oil • 100ml ghee • 2gm cloves • 2gm small cardamom • 2gm cinnamon • 50gm curd • 10ml raw papaya skin juice
Method
Soak and dry the rice. Marinate the duck at least for two hours with curd and half the turmeric, red chilli powder, raw papaya skin juice and salt. In a degchi, sauté moong dal in a few drops of ghee, till lightly fried. Set aside. Fry the rice in a little ghee and set aside. In another degchi add half the ghee. Add half of the whole garam masala (clove, cardamom and cinnamon), bay leaf, and cumin seed. When they start to crackle, add brown sliced onions. Put ginger and garlic paste, red chilli powder and turmeric powder. Cook till the oil separates. Add the duck and cook on a slow flame by covering the pan.
Add hot water and cook till the meat is 90 per cent cooked. Add moong dal and cook for 5 minutes and then add the rice. Cook till the meat, dal and rice are cooked. Finish with rest of the garam masala paste and ghee. Put half the khichri in a serving bowl. Grate two boiled eggs on top on top of the khichri. Add the rest of the khichri and top it with two grated duck eggs. Serve hot.
Mangshor khichri
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Ingredients (To serve 6-8)
• 1kg mutton with or without bone, cut into 20 pieces • 1kg rice • 1 cup moong dal •1tbs garlic paste • 1tbs ginger paste • 2 medium onions, finely sliced • 2 medium onions, ground to a paste • 2tsp turmeric powder • 1tsp chilli powder • 2 large tomatoes, finely chopped • Salt, to taste • Sugar, to taste • 10 cups hot water • 2½tbs oil • 4-5 green chillies (optional), slit • 1tbs ghee • 4 green cardamoms, crushed • 4 cloves • 2-inch piece of cinnamon, broken into pieces • 2 bay leaves • Fried onions for garnish
Method
Wash and soak the rice in water for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside. Dry roast the dal for 3-4 minutes. Wash, drain and set aside. Heat oil in a pan. Add sliced onions and stir fry until golden brown. Stir in ground onion, ginger and garlic paste. Stir until it changes colour. Add tomatoes, 1tsp turmeric and chilli powders. Stir until all spices are well blended and tomatoes are mushy. Add meat and salt. Stir fry until all the liquid given out from the meat evaporates. Stir in four cups of hot water and bring to a boil. Add sugar and mix well. Lower heat, cover and simmer until meat is tender and thick gravy remains.
In another pan place moong dal and rice. Add five cups water, salt and 1tsp turmeric powder. Mix well and bring to a boil. Simmer until the dal and rice are almost done. Add meat, gravy, 1 cup water, slit green chilies and mix well. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer gently for 8-10 minutes. Check seasoning. In a small pan heat ghee, add whole spices and bay leaves. Sauté for a minute or so and pour over the simmering mangshor khichri. Mix well, remove from the fire, place in a large bowl, garnish with fried onions and serve with deep fried brinjal, parwal, potato juliennes etc.
