567. Badshahi Khichdi

I did it my way!

     Badshahi Khichdi is a humble khichdi that is turned into a more satisfying and delicious dish that is fit for a king. Not that the simple khichdi is not tasty. Basically this khichdi is made using split pigeon pea (toor, tuvar dal) and rice. The khichdi has some added vegetables mainly potatoes and brinjals(eggplants) and is tempered using onion, garlic, ginger, chillis and spices. However, I made this khichdi my way. I have tried to give it a more 'royal' appeal by stuffing the potatoes and brinjals with spices, chickpea flour and peanuts. This khichdi is usually served with spiced up yogurt, but since my preparation already has quite a few spices, I decided to serve it with plain yogurt. You may served it with spiced or tempered yogurt if you wish.
     For our 44th #FoodieMonday#Bloghop theme,we decided to make a dish using Indian spices. So I decided to use my version of Gujarati Garam Masala for our #IndianSpicesSorted theme. What is so different about this masala from the other garam masalas. Well, it seems Gujaratis love using dhana(coriander) and jeeru (cumin) in most of their preparations. So this masala has more dhana and jeeru compared to the other spices used.
    I used this masala for the stuffing I prepared for the vegetables.Not many cookbooks will have a Gujarati garam masala recipe, but that's what I make often and use it for my dishes where it calls for garam masala. This masala is not too spicy as it has no chillis in it. Therefore, this masala allows you to add other spices according to your taste and dish. 
   Making masalas at home is easy as long as you have all the right ingredients at hand. Its best to lightly roast the spices over low heat before grinding them as these spices let out a volatile oils which adds to the flavour of the spice blend.Try eating raw cumin seeds and the roasted ones. Notice the huge difference in both. The roasted one will taste more earthy. Dry roasting also gets rid of any moisture in the spices. Crunchy and crispy spices are easier to grind.
    Before I get down to the recipe for the masala and the khichdi, lets get one thing straight, in Indian cooking there is no such thing as curry powder! Curry powder and curry are Western invented terms used for a blend of spices and amazing how turmeric is referred to as curry. Why couldn't they just use the term masala? Curry powder will mostly look yellow or brown because of the abundance amount of turmeric or coriander powder used in the blend.  The word curry powder is also widely used for Indian spice blends here in Kenya.
     The charming thing about making home made spice blends is that you can adjust the amount of spices you use according to your or your family's taste. So here's my version of Gujarati Garam Masala with is not too hot.

GUJARATI GARAM MASALA
Makes about ½ cup

4 tbsp dry coriander seeds (dhana)
2 tbsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1 tbsp peppercorn (mari)
1 tbsp fennel seeds (valiyari, saunf)
1 tsp cardamom seeds (elachi)
10-12 cloves (laving, laung)
1 star anise (chakra phool,badhiyan)
1 big piece mace (javintri)
1 black cardamom ( elacho, bada elachi)
2 one inch long cinnamon sticks (taj)

1. Mix the spices in a wide pan and dry roast over low heat for 40 -50 secs or till you get an aromatic smell.
2. Take the pan off  the heat.
3. Let the spices cool down.
4. Grind using a coffee grinder or use a mortar and pestle.
5. Store the garam masala in an airtight jar or container.

BADSHAHI KHICHDI

Serves 6 -8

For the khichdi:

1 cup rice

1 cup tuvar dal (toor dal, split pigeon peas)
3 cups water

1 large onion, cut into half and sliced

6-8 cloves of garlic, cut into slices

½ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
1 dry red chilli
1 tsp mustard seeds (rai)
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1 tsp ginger paste (or tsp of fine julienne of ginger)
1½ - 2 tsp salt
4-6 cloves (laving)
1-2 pieces cinnamon (taj)
6-8 peppercorns
¼ tsp asafoetida (hing)
2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter) or oil

For the stuffing masala :

¼ cup chickpea flour (chana, besan flour)
¼ cup coarse peanut powder
2 tbsp sesame seeds (tal)
¼ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
2 tbsp of Gujarati Garam Masala
½ - 1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp green chilli paste
½ tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp lemon juice
¼ tsp asafoetida (hing)

For the potato and brinjal vegetable (shaak):

2 tbsp oil
¼ tsp fenugreek seeds (methi)
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
½ tsp mustard seeds (rai)
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
¼ cup water
8 small potatoes
8 small brinjals (eggplants)

Preparation of the khichdi:

1. Wash the rice and tuvar dal together. 
2. Add 3 cups of water and let it soak for 30 minutes.
3. Heat ghee/oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat.
4. Add cloves, cinnamon, pepper and red chilli.
5. Add mustard and cumin seeds.
6. As soon as they begin to sizzle, add onions and asafoetida.
7. Stir fry till the onions become soft and translucent.
8. Add garlic and stir fry for a few seconds.
9. Add ginger and chilli paste. Mix well.
10. Add turmeric powder and the soaked khichdi mixture along with the water.
11. Add salt and mix well.
12. Cover the pan and let the khichdi cook over low heat till done.
13. Don't overcook the khichdi to a mushy consistency. You want separate grains.
14. Uncover the pan and remove the khichdi into a wide tray to cool down.

Preparation of the stuffing:

1. Heat oil in a pan over low heat.
2. Add sesame seeds. As soon as they begin to pop add the chickpea flour.
3. Stir fry till it gives off an aroma. About 20-30 secs.
4. Add peanut powder and stir fry for 15-20 secs.
5. Add green chilli and ginger paste. Stir fry for about 45-50 secs.
6. Remove the pan from the heat.
7. Let the mixture cool down a bit.
8. Add the remaining ingredients, salt, sugar, garam masala, red chilli powder, coriander, asafoetida and lemon juice.
9. Mix the stuffing very well.

Preparation of the brinjal and potato vegetable:

1. Peel the potatoes and at the top make slits in a cross way. Make sure you don't slit all the way down. Leave in salted water for 15-20 minutes.
2. Trim the stem of the brinjal, leaving a bit. Remove the green sepals. Make a slit either cross way from the bottom like the potato or just on one side, not slitting all the way down. I prefer the latter one.
3. Put the brinjals in salted water for 30 minutes.
4. Remove the potatoes and brinjals from the water. Pat them dry on a kitchen towel. This helps to open up the slits and makes filling them a little easier.
5. Start stuffing the brinjals and potatoes with the stuffing.
6. Heat oil in a wide pan over medium heat.
7. When it becomes hot, add fenugreek, mustard and cumin seeds.
8. Add the stuffed brinjals and potatoes. Make sure they are in a single layer.
9. Sprinkle salt and turmeric powder and mix gently.
10. Add water, cover the pan and cook over low heat.
11. Take the pan off the heat once the vegetables are cooked. If need be you may add a little bit more water.

Final preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. At this stage you can either mix the vegetable and khichdi  or you can make layers in an oven proof dish.I prefer to mix both together.
3. If you have mixed it together, put it in an oven proof dish.
4. If you want to layer it, first add khichdi. Then add the vegetables and end with a layer of khichdi.
5. Cover with a foil.
6. Put it in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes till it becomes hot.
7. Serve with yogurt, papad and your favourite pickle.

Tips:

• You can use left over khichdi for this dish. Just stir fry it with the above mentioned spices and onions, garlic, chilli and ginger. 
• Adjust the spices according to your taste.
• If you want to serve the khichdi with tempered yogurt then heat 1 tsp ghee in a small pan. Add some mustard and cumin seeds. Add a sprig of curry leaves and if you want finely chopped chilli. Pour the mixture over the yogurt. Add a bit of salt to the yogurt and mix.

You may want to check out the following:

Tea bread using home made tea masala

Nunu's Biryani

chole bathura with home made chole masala

home made masalas

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