Ingredients to cook Chicken Khichri: (For 2 persons)
Chicken (1 inch long small pieces): 200 gms
Basmati rice: 1 cup
Moong Daal: 1 1/2 cup
White oil for cooking
Red Chili: 3
Bay Leaf: 2
Green Cardamom: 2-3
Cloves: 2
Cinnamon: 3 (1 inch long each)
Onion (Thinly sliced): 3
Tomato (chopped): 1
Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp
Ginger paste: 1 tbsp
Cumin Powder: 1 tbsp
Garlic: 1/2 tbsp
Red Chili Powder: 1 1/2 tbsp or as per your taste
Sugar: 1 tbsp
Salt: as per your taste
Ghee: 1 tbsp
Garam Masala: 1/2 tbsp
Water
Process to cook Chicken Khichri:
1. Take Moong Dal in a bowl. Wash well. Transfer the daal in a pressure cooker. Turn on the heat. Place the pressure cooker on the oven. Wait till 2 whistles. But don't try to open the lid now. Keep the pressure cooker aside for 10 minutes.
2. Soak rice in water. Set it aside.
3. Heat oil in a deep-bottom frying pan. Add Red Chili and Bay Leaf. Saute for 1 minute.
4. Add Green Cardamom, Cloves, Cinnamon. Wait till it releases the nice aroma.
5. Add Onion. Cook until it becomes soft.
6. Add Tomato and spread little salt. Salt would help Tomato become soft quickly.
7. Add Turmeric Powder. Mix well.
8. Now add Ginger Paste. Stir well.
9. Add Garlic Paste. Mix well.
10. Now add red Chili Powder. Mix well.
11. Add Chicken. Cook until the chicken releases oil. Meanwhile add little Sugar then Salt.
12. When Chicken becomes soft, add Moong Daal and Rice. Add 3 cups of water or more.
[If you want to use both the boiling water of Moong Daal and soaking water of Rice, you can add only 2 cups of water at this stage.]
13. When you see the Khichri is almost done, you can Spread Ghee and sprinkle Garam Masal. Mix well.
14. Turn off the heat once done.
Serve hot Chicken Khichri with Pickle or Chutney.
Cooking Kichri is synonymous to writing love letter!...Why? Because more and more punch and accompaniments are required to make it tasty. With punch I mean - a romantic thunderstorm, dark rolling clouds in the sky, torrential rains with bursting clouds and your soul craving the great Khichri.
And accompaniments? They are fried or frittered brinjal/pumpkin, fired pointed gourd / potato /cauliflower / fish or omelette or onion rings...whatever you like to have. If you believe in a bit of opulence in food, I am suggesting some more luxurious accompaniments as dry roasted papad, chutney, butter fried coconut pieces, these are optional but quintessential. Otherwise you can have Kichri itself as a complete meal.
How to make Badshahi Khichri
What ingredients I used: (For 2 persons)
Basmati Rice - 1 cup
Moong Lentil - 1 cup
Poppy seeds - 1 tbsp
Cashew - 7-8 pcs
White Curd - 2 tbsp
Ginger + Chili paste - 1 tbsp
Whole garam masala - 3 cardamom, 3 cloves, 2 cinnamon
Bay leaves - 2
Garam Masala Powder - 1 tbsp
Turmeric Power - 1 tsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Sugar 1 tsp
White oil - 2 tbsp
Lots of water
Biryani Masala - a pinch (optional)
A few peanuts and raisin (optional)
How I cooked Badshahi Kichri:
1. Dry-roast the rice and lentil in a frying pan for 10 minutes. Wash them properly and rinse the water. Keep them aside.
2. Make a smooth paste with cashew and poppy seeds. Then add curd to the paste. Mix well.
3. Add while oil in a deep bottom frying pan. Once oil becomes hot, add bay leaves, whole garam masala and sugar. Fry them for 2 minutes.
4. Add ginger-chili paste and stir for 1 minutes or until the raw smell gets off.
5. Add the paste made of cashew, poppy seeds and curd. Stir well.
6. Add turmeric powder and stir again.
7. Now add rice and lentil. Stir well and then add lots of water. I prefer to add 1 litre of water at this stage. Then I add more water if required later.
8. At this stage you can add Biryani Masala, peanuts and raisins.
9. Now let the rice and lentil be boiled. Once it is cooked nicely, add little ghee and garam masala powder. And mix well.
Your Badshahi Khichri is ready. You can enjoy your Kichri with any of the accompaniments mentioned above.
