Mixed Lentils & Vegetables Khichdi
Healthy, wholesome, one-pot dish with lentils, rice and vegetables, cooked in ghee, turmeric and red chili powder makes an amazing comfort food!
Healthy, wholesome, one-pot dish with lentils, rice and vegetables, cooked in ghee, turmeric and red chili powder makes an amazing comfort food!
- 6 cups water
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup white rice
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon ginger
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- 1 carrot (peeled and sliced)
- 1/4 cup green beans (chopped)
- 1/4 cup green peas (frozen)
- 1 red potato (cubed)
- 1 tomato (diced)
- 1 cup cauliflower (chopped)
- 1 cup cabbage (chopped)
- 1 cup spinach (chopped)
- 2 teaspoon red chili powder (mild)
- 1 cup mixed lentils ((moong masoor, toor and chana daal))
- 1/4 cup cilantro (chopped for garnish)
- Carbohydrate 30.1546621403429 g
- Cholesterol 11.1740310750463 mg
- Fat 4.52359763272203 g
- Fiber 1.16839303800456 g
- Protein 2.58912781857814 g
- Saturated Fat 2.73999301002114 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (281g)
- Sodium 40.5621366186446 mg
- Sugar 28.9862691023383 g
- Trans Fat 0.347954475964352 g
- Calories 174 calories
Step-by-step
- Turn Instant Pot to Sauté Mode. Once the ‘Hot’ sign displays, add ghee, cumin seeds and ginger.
- Cook for 30 seconds. Add all the vegetables (carrots, beans, peas, tomato, potato, cauliflower, cabbage and spinach). Mix well.
- Add turmeric, red chili powder and salt. Mix well. Add rice and mixed lentils.
- Add 6 cups of water. Give everything a quick stir and close the Instant Pot lid with pressure valve to sealing.
- Press the rice button (12 minutes), followed by natural pressure release once time is up.
- Open Instant Pot, garnish with cilantro. Serve hot with roasted papad and pickle. Enjoy!
Restricted to a 30-minute total window, this one-pot preparation relies entirely on pressure to soften both dense root vegetables and split pulses simultaneously. Raw split lentils require adequate moisture and sustained heat to break down into a smooth porridge consistency, making water ratios critical.
Starch scorching on the base of the inner pot remains the most frequent point of failure during the initial sauté phase. Sautéing the cumin seeds and ginger in ghee for precisely 30 seconds releases aromatic compounds without burning the botanical solids, which ruins the base flavor profile. Natural pressure release prevents the starches from boiling over through the valve.
Dietary adjustments require careful fat selection. Substituting neutral vegetable oil or vegan butter for the two tablespoons of ghee maintains the proper lipid content for mouthfeel without animal products. Rinsing the mixed lentils—moong, masoor, toor, and chana daal—until the water runs completely clear removes excess surface starch that otherwise causes heavy foaming under pressure.
