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There is no other comfort food quite like Khichdi. Try out this nutrituous and healthy version of Assamese-style Khisiri with pearl barley and seasonal vegetables.
- 1/2 cup pearl barley (jau)
- 1/4 cup masoor dal (red lentils)
- 1/4 cup moong dal (split green gram)
- 3 tbsp mustard oil
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp panch phoran
- 2 whole red chillies
- 1/4 tsp asafoetida (hing)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onions
- 2 green chillies
- 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 medium potato (cubed)
- 1 medium carrot (diced)
- 6-8 cauliflower florets
- 1/4 cup green peas
- 1 medium tomato chopped
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
- 1 tsp cumin powder (jeera)
- 1 tbsp coriander powder (dhania)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
- 4 cups water
- 1/4 cup chopped green coriander leaves
- 1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
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To begin, soak the pear barley for 8 hours or overnight. Wash the dals in water until they run clean. Soak them for 30 minutes. Drain and keep aside.
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Heat mustard oil to the smoking point and let it cool a bit. Add bay leaves, whole red chillies, panch phoran, and asafoetida. Allow to crackle.
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Add the chopped onions with the slit green chillies and saute until onions are translucent. Add ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute.
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Next add the diced vegetables – potatoes, carrots, and cauliflower with the green peas. Mix well and saute for a few minutes.
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Add in the tomatoes and saute until they soften.
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Now add the dry masalas – salt to taste, black pepper powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, and turmeric powder. Saute for a few minutes. You can add a bit of water to avoid the masalas from burning.
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Next, add in the soaked barley with the dals. Mix well and saute for 4-5 minutes.
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Add 4 cups water. Bring to a boil. Pressure cook it for 3 whistles. Let the pressure drop completely before opening the cooker. If using an open pot, cook on low heat until the barley is done.
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The Assamese-Style Barley Khisiri is ready to serve. Garnish with some more coriander leaves. Serve hot with a dollop of ghee on top.
- Prepare the panch phoran by mixing together 1 tsp mustard seeds (sarson), 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera), 1 tsp fennel seeds (saunf), 1/2 tsp nigella seeds (kalongi), and 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi dana). You can bottle this in an airtight container for extended use.
- You can experiment with season vegetables of your choice.
Video
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This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla in collaboration with Dr. Preeti Chauhan.