TOOR DAL KHICHDI

The weather is getting cooler here by the day and that's when I feel like eating things which are mushy,warm & comforting like a khichdi,soup,risotto etc. I usually like my rice to be perfectly cooked,each grain separate from the other. But,for this dish, I let go of my usual expectations and embrace the warm,flavourful,mushy, healthy & delicious rice. It doesn't take that long prepare a big batch of comforting Toor Dal Khichdi.

This is a perfect way to sneak veggies into your diet. Even into your child's diet. No one will know what's gone into it because you are pressure cooking everything till they are really really soft,which means,they almost disappear and melt and become one with rice and dal. The best way to eat it is with a big helping of ghee,which will almost immediately melt into a pool and a serving of spicy mango pickle. Atleast,that's the way I think it should be eaten.

I love one pot meals and this one fits the bill! You just throw all the ingredients into the pot one by one and that's pretty much it! I've used just carrots,peas and green beans for the veggies but you can switch and use whatever combo you would like. Maybe,you could hold back on that beetroot. It is going to turn your rice into some other colour! Unless, your child or the child in you wants a pinkish Khichdi! This recipe is from Sia and this is the first one I've tried from her blog. It's just awesome and I am looking forward to trying more!

TOOR DAL KHICHDI
Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Basmati Rice
3/4 cup Toor Dal

2 tablespoon ghee
1 inch piece of Cinnamon
3 green Cardamoms
3 Cloves

1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
1 dried red chili
1/4 teaspoon Asafoetida

1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
1 heaped teaspoon ground Coriander
1 1/2 cups of mixed vegetables
1/4 cup cilantro,chopped
3 serrano chilies, split
1 inch piece of ginger,peeled and crushed
Salt

Method:
Wash and soak the rice and dal in water for 15 minutes as you prep the rest of the ingredients.
Heat the ghee in a pressure cooker on medium-high heat and add the cinnamon,cardamom and cloves. Let it sizzle and infuse the oil for 30 seconds. Then, add the mustard seeds and once they pop,add the cumin ,red chili and asafoetida. Stir well for 30 seconds. Then, add the drained rice and dal followed by turmeric and ground coriander. Mix well. Add in the mixed veggies,cilantro, chilies,ginger and salt. Stir well. Pour 8 cups of water, mix it in,check for salt and let it come to a boil.
Put the lid on with the weight and cook on medium heat for 5 whistles. Turn off the heat and let the pressure go down on it's own. Open the lid,stir well,adjust the consistency if needed. Check for seasonings and serve hot with ghee and pickle. You can garnish it with some more cilantro,if you'd like it that way!

If you want to cook this Khichdi without a pressure cooker, you can do the same in a heavy bottomed vessel. Cook down till the rice and dal turns mushy. Adjust water as needed.

I am very happy whenever I make this. It's mostly because we 3 love it equally. It is a well balanced meal and very filling. A little goes a long way.It also reheats well which is an added bonus! That way, I don't have to worry about what we have to eat the next day!

POTATO & BROCCOLI RICE - BABY FOOD SERIES (1)

Ijust realised that the last post here was about a month ago! Where does the time go? Days are just flying by and even before I realise Summer is coming to an end, Costco has started stocking up on Christmas decorations!! Eeeks! That means just one thing...winter is around the corner! I know, I know, there's a season called Fall in between to come but everything just spells Winter to me. Winter in Minneapolis...is too harsh.

A lot of you had asked me about what I feed Ian Vaava on a daily basis.I give him different things depending on my mood on that given day.Sometimes, he has a spread and sometimes it's just some veggie loaded rice and yogurt.Either way, he always relishes everything to the last morsel. So,it works out for us.

I also realised,after reading your emails,that I haven't shared any birthday photographs from Ian's 1st Birthday Party as I promised to! So here are some of them. When I look at these photographs, my heart cannot hold back the emotions I had during those days...a month ago.The drama because he was turning one, the headless chicken dance I did because I wanted EVERYTHING, yes, every single thing to be homemade! Did you know that I even asked Jobin if I could make the burger buns & potato chips at home too...so that it's like a complete homemade thing??

To be honest, when I go for a birthday party or for that matter any party,I look forward to eating the food,the host/hostess cooked. If possible, from scratch. Yeah,I can be a bit difficult that way. I somehow love the charm of homemade meals. I love the fact that there was a lot of thought process that was involved in making that day special, in a complete homemade way.

I feel very accomplished,when I look at the food photographs from his birthday party. I had been planning it since the time he was born. Menu changed multiple times and finally we decided on these things that you are seeing right now.Everything, including the spring roll wrappers were made from scratch. I wanted his birthday to be so special, so special that I didn't mind breaking my head over each detail.

It was a quiet,fun filled day with our good friends here.Ian had a good time and stayed up until we packed up and left from the picnic spot.

POTATO & BROCCOLI RICE
My own recipe

One thing I want to tell you is that I am not a certified baby food maker, so please, please use this as a guide to develop your own recipes,for your child. You know your child better,than me. This is what I feed our baby.

Ingredients
2 tablespoon oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 large dried red chili
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 red onion, sliced fine
1 large potato,peeled & cubed
1 cup broccoli florets
1/2 cup sona masoori /basmati rice
1 1/2 cups water
Salt to taste

Method: Heat oil in a pressure cooker,on medium heat.Splutter the mustard followed by cumin and dried red chili.Add the turmeric,onions,potato & broccoli and saute for 2 minutes.Add the rice and stir for a minute.Add water and salt and pressure cook for two whistles.Once the steam is released,open the cooker and adjust seasonings/water to your child's preference*.
*If your baby likes mushy rice,add more water and mush it up using a potato masher.

We must be quite weird when we say that we really like baby food,when made this way. I find Jobin and myself helping ourselves from his little porcelain pot that I keep his food in. If at all,you feel like making it for yourself,decrease the water and pressure cook it for just one whistle. I hope to update this space with more baby food,so that it may benefit some of you.