Here's a super simple and basic Khichdi recipe - something for those lazy days when you don't really want to go all-out in the kitchen, but still want hug-in-a-bowl kinda comfort food in your belly.

Khichdi for my family has always been something that's made when someone is ill, has an upset stomach or for babies being weaned onto solid food. I reckon it's like that in a lot of Pakistani households. The reasoning is that Khichdi is easier to take in and digest since it has a very mild flavour, isn't heavy on the spices and is very soft.

I remember my Mother cooking a small pot of Khichdi on the daily for my little brother seven years my junior when he was being weaned onto solids. This Khichdi was super soft, moist and buttery. Occasionally my Mother would add small chunks of potatoes that looked like they were melted into the rice, or chicken. I won't lie, I would wait for my brother to (inevitably) have some leftovers for me to devour.

Come to think of it, I've no clue why I just didn't ask my Mother to make some for me too. Ah, to be a kid again, eh?

Khichri / Khichdi - A Comforting, One-Pot Rice and Lentils Recipe

What is Khichdi?

Khichdi is a rice and lentil medley dish, somewhat a cross between a pilaf and a soup. It's a simple recipe, mild in flavour but very soothing. Some variations contain vegetables, beans, even meat. This recipe is for a simple Dal Khichdi, which contains only lentils and rice.

What kind of lentils can you use in Khichdi?

You can use any type of lentils for Khichdi. I used masoor and moong daal in this recipe, however literally any kind can be used.

Additionally, the ratio of rice:lentils is also up to you. I used 50% rice and 50% daal - I just prefer to bulk it up evenly. I've found some people prefer 30% daal and 70% rice - it's purely your own choice and fear not, messing up the ratio will not mess up your Khichdi! Any changes you can make are listed in the 'notes' section below the recipe

What is Khichdi good for?

I love a bowl of Khichdi anytime I'm not in the mood for a full-blown taste-bud experience. Cooked in my style, with a slightly heavy hand on the black pepper and an emphasis on the delectable aroma of cinnamon, Khichdi makes for an ideal lunch on a lazy day.

Khichdi is also a fantastic meal for your little ones - my daughter particularly has been a complete Khichdi lover ever seen we were weaning her onto food. You can keep a light hand on the black pepper if your child is new to food or sensitive to spice. My girl has an impressively good tolerance to spice, so I use the same amount of black pepper as I would for myself.

Khichdi will also have your back on a sick day - sometimes something mild, soft and bland is all you can stomach. Fear not, you've come to the right recipe if this is you.

How to serve Khichdi

Khichdi is best deserved with a knob of butter and a dollop of yogurt. In fact, never have I seen a plate of Khichdi in my family without a side of yogurt. It seems quite unthinkable.

You can also serve it with some achaar (pickle) and a tomato chutney.

If you want to serve it alongside a curry, I would highly recommend something simple and with shorba, like Aloo Gosht or Chicken Salan.

Many recipes also serve Khichdi with a Tadka - i.e., frying some onions alongside additional aromatic such as curry leaves or chilli in oil/ghee and then pouring over. This gives a beautiful, deep and rich flavour to the Khichdi. You can totally do this too. I haven't done this in this particular recipe as I don't tend to add a Tadka myself. But if this is what you're used to, go for it!

Top Khichdi Tips

The more you brown your onions in the initial step, the darker your khichdi will be. Keep this in mind if you have a picture of how coloured you'd like the end result!
For a great addition, try adding vegetables like cubed potatoes, peas, sweetcorn, carrots etc to this! For potatoes or carrots, I would recommend adding them around 20 minutes before the end. Sweetcorn and peas which are frozen are totally fine being added about 10 minutes before the end.
I have been known to add grated vegetables into Khichdi to get some extra nutrition in. Disclaimer: your Khichdi may change colour, depending on what veggies you add.
Not a fan of the buttery dollop at the end? No worries. You can omit that and replace it with a lovely tadka of fried onions or anything else you fancy. Green chillis, cumin seeds, garlic and mustard seeds also make good additions.

Enjoy, with love x

📋 Recipe

Khichdi - A Simple Pakistani Dal Khichdi

Cook Time: 40

Total Time: 40

Servings:

4.69 from 41 votes

Print Rate

Ingredients

½ cup (100 g) white basmati rice
½ cup (100 g) lentils, any kind I used half half moong and masoor lentils
2 tablespoon ghee or butter
2 bay leaves
1 big chunk whole cinnamon
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 medium sized onion sliced
2 teaspoon salt or to taste
1.5 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper or to taste
yogurt and butter to serve

Instructions

Wash and soak the rice and lentils in the same bowl for at least 30 minutes. Drain before using.
Heat the ghee/butter in a pot and fry the onions, cinnamon, cumin seeds and bay leaf on medium heat and till the onions are soft and translucent. We don't want to brown them too much.
Once the onions are soft, add the drained rice, lentils, spices and 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then cook on high till most of the water dries up and the Khichdi is at a consistency you like. Stir often from the sides and bottom to ensure the Khichdi doesn't stick to the pan.
Once the Khichdi is at your desired consistency, turn the heat down to the lowest, cover and steam for 5-10 minutes.
Serve warm with a dollop of yogurt and a knob of butter.

Notes

You can use more lentils than rice or more rice than lentils, if you wish. Just make sure the total amount of rice and lentils is one cup
If you use another kind of lentil, such as chana daal, you may need to extend soak time to an hr
If you aren't fond of the aroma of cinnamon, you can use a small chunk of cinnamon or omit it altogether.

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