Broccoli & Baby Corn Khichdi

The husband and I love khichdi, and often make a meal of it. We love tucking into a bowlful of ghee-drizzled khichdi for lunch or dinner. I love experimenting with khichdi – using different ingredients, different styles – all the time. This Broccoli & Baby Corn Khichdi was one such recent experiment that turned out to be a very happy one.

This recipe was born out of sheer necessity – I had broccoli and baby corn lying around in my refrigerator and wanted to use it in something, and we were craving for khichdi. The end result was this beautiful fusion, this khichdi infused with the goodness and beautiful taste of broccoli, the baby corn lending it a nice crunch.

Let’s now see how I made this Broccoli & Baby Corn Khichdi, shall we?

Ingredients (serves 3-4):

1. 1 cup rice
2. 1/4 cup moong daal
3. Salt, to taste
4. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
5. 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
6. Red chilli powder, to taste (optional)
7. 1-1/2 cups finely chopped broccoli
8. 5-6 pieces of baby corn, chopped into rounds
9. 1 small carrot, peeled and chopped finely
10. 1 small capsicum, chopped finely
11. 1/4 cup shelled green peas
12. 3 green chillies, slit length-wise
13. A few sprigs of fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
14. 1 tablespoon oil
15. 1 tablespoon ghee
16. 1 teaspoon mustard seeds (rai)
17. 2-3 dry red chillies
18. 1 teaspoon cumin (jeera)
19. A pinch of asafoetida

Method:

1. Wash the rice and moong daal together under running water, a couple of times. Drain out all the excess water. Pressure cook the washed and drained rice and moong daal with about 5 cups of water, for 4 whistles. Let the pressure release naturally.
2. When the pressure has released completely, remove the cooked rice and moong daal from the cooker and keep handy.
3. Heat the oil in a pan, and add in the chopped broccoli, carrot, capsicum, baby corn and green peas. Saute on medium heat till the vegetables are cooked, but still retain some of their crunch.
4. Now, add the cooked rice and moong daal to the pan, along with the slit green chillies, salt to taste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder (if using) and garam masala. Mix well, but gently. Cook on medium flame for 2-3 minutes, stirring intermittently to ensure that the khichdi doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. You may add in more water if you want.
5. While the khichdi is cooking, prepare the tempering in another pan. Heat the ghee in another pan, and add in the mustard seeds. Let them pop. Now, add in the cumin, dry red chillies and asafoetida. Let them stay in for a couple of seconds. Switch off gas.
6. Add the tempering to the khichdi, mix well. Switch off gas.
7. Mix in the finely chopped coriander to the Broccoli & Baby Corn Khichdi. Serve hot with curd or raita of your choice.

Notes:

1. I have used Sona Masoori rice here. You can use any type of rice that you prefer, to make this Broccoli & Baby Corn Khichdi.
2. I have used ghee to make the tempering for this khichdi. You can use oil instead, or a mix of oil and ghee.
3. You can use any other vegetables that you want to, in this khichdi. Onions, beans, tomatoes, potatoes and cauliflower would make nice additions.
4. I have used home-made garam masala to make this Broccoli & Baby Corn Khichdi. I had to use very little, as home-made garam masala tends to be fresher and way more fragrant than store-bought versions. If you are using store-bought garam masala, you might want to increase the quantity a bit.
5. You can add in some ginger-garlic paste while sauteeing the vegetables, too. I have skipped this.
6. A piece of cinnamon, some cloves and cardamom can be added to the tempering as well. A few cloves of garlic, chopped finely and burnt a little in the oil, can be added too. I have skipped this.
7. If you think the heat from the green chillies is enough, you can skip adding the red chilli powder.
8. Here, I have cooked the rice and moong daal separately and then mixed in the sauteed veggies. This helps in keeping the vegetables crunchy, preventing them from turning mushy. If you don’t mind mushy veggies, you can pressure cook all ingredients together and then add the tempering separately. If you want to pressure cook all ingredients together, do chop the veggies slightly larger to avoid them getting overcooked.

Do try out this Broccoli & Baby Corn Khichdi, and let me know how you liked it! I’d love to read your comments!

 

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