bhaja muger dal or bengali khichdi recipe with step by step photos. bengali moong dal khichdi  is always made during durga puja festival. this khichdi is served as bhog to ma durga along with some other bengali delicacies.

the khichdi has an addition of mixed vegetables that we generally add to pulao like – cauliflower, green peas, potatoes, carrots etc. i just had potatoes, cauliflower and peas and hence added these to the khichdi.

adding vegetable to this rice and lentil preparation makes it a wholesome one pot meal. you can even skip adding vegetables if you prefer.

again like the cholar dal, in this recipe, panch phoron is not used. the moong dal khichdi is made fragrant by tempering whole garam masala or spices like bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom.

the moong dal is roasted first and this imparts a lovely warm aroma and taste to the khichdi. this is also a no onion no garlic recipe. the consistency of the khichdi can be adjusted to one’s preference. the khichdi that is served during durga puja has a porridge like consistency. to suit the family’s taste buds, i did not make a porridge like khichdi.

there few more variations of moong dal khichdi recipe on the blog. e.g. this moong dal khichdi is made during ganesh chaturthi festival in maharashtra and is specially prepared to be offered as naivedyam to lord ganesha. in this recipe also onions and garlic are not used. if you want to use onions to make khichdi then check this masala khichdi recipe or this khichdi recipe.

i have adapted this bengali khichuri recipe from two of the bengali cookbooks which i have. mix and matched both of them to get the best recipe.

this roasted moong dal khichdi is served with baingan bhaja or aloo bhaja. a bowl of yogurt and some roasted papads by the side would also go very well with the khichdi. i had made both fried as well as baked baingan bhaja to go with the khichdi.

preparation for making bengali khichdi

1. rinse 1 cup of basmati rice or govind bhog rice couple of times in water.

2. soak rice in water for 30 minutes.

3. after 30 minutes drain the water.

4. in a pan, take 1 cup moong dal (split and husked moong dal). roast the dal on low flame.

5. roast and stir moong dal often till they turn light golden and aromatic. just keep stirring so that they are uniformly roasted.

6. soon the dal will begin to change color. once the dal is roasted well, keep aside.

7. when the lentils cool down, then rinse them in water a couple of times.

8. sprinkle some water on them and keep aside.

9. just before you begin tempering, drain the water from moong dal and keep aside.

making bengali khichuri

10. heat 3 tablespoons ghee or oil in a pressure cooker.

11. add 1 inch cinnamon (dalchini), 2 green cardamoms (choti elaichi), 3 cloves (lavang), 1 tej patta (indian bay leaf) and 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera). saute the whole spices till they become aromatic.

12. the cumin should also crackle when sauteing the spices.

13. now add 1 inch grated ginger.

14. saute for 5 to 6 seconds or till the raw aroma of the ginger goes away.

15. then add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi), ½ to ¾ teaspoon red chili powder (lal mirch powder) and 1 pinch asafoetida (hing). addition of asafoetida is optional.

16. saute for 2 to 3 seconds.

17. then add 2 small tomatoes which are chopped. also add 1 chopped green chili.

18. saute till the tomatoes soften and become pulpy.

19. add 1 to 1.5 cups chopped mix veggies like cauliflower (gobi), potato and green peas (matar).

20. stir and saute for a minute.

21. then add the roasted moong dal.

22. saute for 2 minutes.

23. now add the drained rice.

24. mix well.

25. add ½ teaspoon sugar and salt as required.

26. next pour 5 cups water.

27. stir well.

28. then pressure cook moong dal khichdi for 4 to 5 whistles on medium to high flame.

29. once the pressure settles down on its own, open the lid of the cooker.

30. serve the bengali khichdi with baingan bhaja or yogurt and some roasted papads by the side.

few more rice recipes for you !

• bajra khichdi
• palak khichdi
• chana dal khichdi
• kolkata biryani – vegetarian version

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bengali khichdi

4.82 from 11 votes

bhaja muger dal khichuri is one pot meal of rice, moong dal, vegetables that is made during durga puja.

Author:Dassana Amit

Prep Time:30 mins

Cook Time:15 mins

Total Time:45 mins

Course:main course

Cuisine:bengali,indian

Servings (change the number to scale):3 to 4

(1 CUP = 250 ML)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup basmati rice or govind bhog rice (basmati chawal ya govind bhog chawal)
• 1 cup dhuli moong dal (split and husked moong dal)
• 3 tablespoon ghee or 2.5 tablespoon oil
• 1 inch cinnamon (dalchini)
• 2 green cardamom (choti elaichi)
• 3 cloves (laung)
• 1 tej patta (indian bay leaf)
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera) or cumin powder (jeera powder)
• 1 inch grated ginger (adrak kisa hua)
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi powder)
• ½ to ¾ teaspoon red chili powder (lal mirch powder)
• 1 pinch asafoetida (hing) - optional
• 2 small tomatoes, chopped (optional)
• 1 green chili, chopped (hari mirch)
• 2 small to medium potatoes, ½ cup cauliflower and ½ cup green peas OR 1 to 1.5 cups of chopped mix vegetables like cauliflower, peas, potatoes and carrots
• ½ teaspoon sugar or as required - optional
• rock salt or sendha namak as required
• 5 cups water

INSTRUCTIONS

preparation for bhaja muger dal khichuri

• rinse and soak rice in water for 30 mins.
• in a pan slow roast the moong dal till some of the lentils turn light golden and aromatic.
• keep on stirring to get uniform roasting and browning.
• when the lentils cool, rinse them in water. sprinkle some water on them and keep aside.
• just before you begin tempering, drain both the moong dal as well as rice and keep aside.

making bhaja muger dal khichuri

• heat ghee or oil in the pressure cooker.
• first fry the whole spices till they become aromatic - cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, bay leaf and cumin.
• the cumin should also crackle when frying the spices.
• now add the grated ginger and saute for a 5-6 seconds or till the raw aroma of the ginger goes away.
• add turmeric, red chili powder and asafoetida and saute for 2-3 seconds.
• then add the tomatoes and green chilies and saute till the tomatoes become soft.
• add the chopped veggies - potato, cauliflower and peas.
• stir and saute for a minute.
• add the roasted moong dal and saute for 2 minutes.
• add the drained rice and stir well.
• pour 5 cups water and add salt & sugar.
• stir and then pressure cook moong dal khichdi for 4-5 whistles on medium to high flame.
• once the pressure settles down on its own, open the lid of the cooker.
• serve the bengali moong dal khichdi with baingan bhaja or yogurt and some roasted papads by the side.

NOTES

1. to get a porridge like consistency in the khichdi you can add an additional ½ to 1 cup water.

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