This is soul food for us from the eastern part of India and a common dish made at home and during festivals.

Ingredients:

• Mustard Oil or vegetable oil. Two tablespoons for the Khichdi and some for frying the vegetables
• Rice 1/2 cup cleaned
• Split Green Gram (Moong Dal) 1/2 cup sauted
• Cauliflower 8 Florets
• Potatoes 8 pieces cut
• Green Peas – Fresh or Frozen 1 cup
• Ginger paste or jullienes 1 teaspoon
• Bay leaf 1
• Cumin seeds 1 teaspoon
• Dry red chillis 2
• Chilli Powder 1/2 teaspoon
• Cumin Powder 1/2 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon
• Tomato 1 chopped
• Clarified butter or salted butter 1 tablespoon
• Garam Masala powder
• Salt and Sugar to taste

Steps:

• Wash the rice, saute the split green gram for aroma and mix with rice and soak for 30 min. Strain water properly
• Fry the potatoes till red. Don’t cook them over.
• Fry the Cauliflower till cooked. Dont blacken, just red and cooked.
• In a pan put oil and when hot add bay leaf, dry chillis and cumin seeds.
• After 2 minutes add chopped tomatoes mix and cover. Cook for 5 minutes till tomatoes are cooked.
• Add ginger paste, cumin powder, chilli powder and turmeric powder and some water and saute till dry.
• Add the strained rice and lentil and saute till it is dry and well coated.
• Add double the quantity of water as compared to rice and lentil, salt to taste, potatoes and mix. Cover and cook till semi dry.
• Add some more water and peas, mix and cover and cook till semi dry.
• Add some more water and cook till you get the right consistency and switch off the gas.
• Add the fried cauliflower, sugar, garam masala and clarified butter and mix well.
• Garnish with Coriander leaves or greens of shallots (optional)

Tips:

• Saute the Lentil till you get an aroma, don’t saute too much. Let the rice and lentil be in water for a good 30 minutes and strain well before adding it to the spice mix.
• Add other vegetables like asparagus,
• broccoli, zucchini, carrots in the same way as the Potatoes and Cauliflower. Don’t over do the quantity or types of vegetables, choose a combination.
• Don’t put all the water in one go. Double quantity of rice and lentil first time and same quantity the next two times.
• Can add onion slices at the beginning and garlic paste along with ginger paste for more flavoring.
• At the end dont dry up the mix as excess water will get soaked up so you want this moist after it has soaked up water in the end.