Chana dal khichdi
Preparation Time
5 minutes
Cooking Time
20 minutes
Difficulty Level
easy
Meal Type
Lunch
Serves 4
Key Ingredients
- Chana dal (split bengal gram)
About This Recipe
Khichdi is what most Indian homes mean by a one-pot meal: dal and rice simmered together into a soft, spoonable pot. This chana dal khichdi is the one to pick when you want the dal to stay whole. Unlike moong, chana dal keeps its shape through pressure cooking, so every spoonful has soft, nutty grains of dal among the rice. The dal itself is covered in our chana dal guide.
Chana dal cooks more slowly than rice, so this bengal gram khichdi gives the dal a head start: it soaks for an hour, and the rice joins the bowl for the last half hour. Four and a half cups of water to one and a quarter cups of dal and rice makes a soft, spoonable pot; hold back half a cup to loosen it at the end.
Vegetables slot in easily: carrot, peas or beans cook with the grains, and a squeeze of lemon at the table brightens the pot. Moong dal cooks faster, so a moong khichdi is the softer, quicker cousin; this one is for bite.
Ingredient List
Serving Size:
1x
2x
3x
Khichdi
- Chana dal (split bengal gram) — 1/2 cup
- Sona masoori rice — 3/4 cup
- Ghee (half for the tempering, half to serve) — 2 tbsp
- Cumin Seeds — 1 tsp
- Hing (asafoetida) powder — 1/4 tsp
- Turmeric Powder — 1/2 tsp
- Ginger, finely chopped — 1 tsp
- Green chilli, slit — 1 piece
- Salt — 1 1/2 tsp
- Hot water — 4 1/2 cups
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Serving Suggestions
Serve the khichdi hot with a bowl of curd, a crisp roasted papad and lime or mango pickle on the side, and a glass of chaas to make it a full lunch. The chana dal recipes roundup has more one-pot dal dishes.
Tips for Cooking Chana dal khichdi
Do not shorten the soak; the dal and the rice must finish in the same time. Pour the water hot, or the cooker takes long to come to pressure and the rice overcooks while the dal stays firm. Cook for three to four whistles on medium and let the pressure drop on its own. The khichdi thickens as it cools, so keep hot water ready at the table.
Chef’s Note
This khichdi is a pot of separate, soft grains rather than a mash, and the ghee on top is what brings it together. A bowl comes to about 286 kcal and 8.5 g of protein, with 5.1 g of fibre, counted from the dal, the rice, the ghee and the spices.
Per serving (approx.): 286 kcal, protein 8.5 g, carbs 41 g, fat 9.1 g, fibre 5.1 g. Computed from IFCT 2017 / USDA values for the listed quantities. Measures: 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 tbsp = 15 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml.
Happy Cooking
!!
ByCOWBERRY
Jun 18, 2026
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