Masala khichdi
Preparation Time
3 minutes
Cooking Time
34 minutes
Difficulty Level
easy
Meal Type
Lunch
Serves 4
Key Ingredients
- Sona masoori rice
About This Recipe
Masala khichdi is what plain khichdi becomes when the tempering leads: bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves and black cardamom dropped into hot ghee, then cumin, ginger and green chilli, and only then the rice and dal. The spices scent the fat, the fat scents the pot, and the pot does the rest under pressure.
The measures are fixed and worth keeping: one cup of sona masoori rice to half a cup of moong dal, and three cups of water to a cup of grain, so the batch takes four and a half cups. Soak the rice and dal for 20 minutes, cook on high to the first whistle, then eight minutes on low and let the pressure fall on its own. A khada masala khichdi drops in the whole spices exactly like this; a tadka masala khichdi starts from the same ghee tempering, and this desi ghee masala khichdi uses COWBERRY's A2 cow ghee for it.
The grain is sona masoori, grown in the Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka plains and light enough for a khichdi; our guide to rice (chawal) covers the grain itself. The south-Indian cousin of the same idea is bisi bele bath, and the plain rice with a cumin tempering is jeera rice.
Ingredient List
Serving Size:
1x
2x
3x
Khichdi
- Sona masoori rice — 1 cup
- Green moong split (moong dal) — 1/2 cup
- Water — 4 1/2 cups
- Turmeric Powder — 1/4 tsp
- Salt — 1 tsp
Tempering
- Ghee — 2 tbsp
- Jeera (cumin seeds) — 1 tsp
- Bay Leaf — 1 piece
- Cinnamon, one inch piece — 1 piece
- Cloves — 4 pieces
- Black cardamom — 2 pieces
- Ginger, grated — 1 tsp
- Green chilli, slit — 1 piece
- Hing (asafoetida) powder — 1/4 tsp
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Serving Suggestions
Serve hot in a bowl with a ladle of kadhi or a spoon of extra ghee on top, with papad, pickle and sliced onion. It is the classic dinner after a long day and a good lunchbox, since it stays soft. Covered in the fridge it keeps for up to two days, loosened with a splash of hot water when reheated.
Tips for Cooking Masala khichdi
Toast the whole spices only until fragrant; burnt spices make the whole pot bitter. Keep the water level at three cups per cup of grain, or the khichdi turns either stiff or soupy. Let the pressure drop on its own, because the dal keeps softening during the wait. Mash lightly with the back of the ladle at the end, and serve the khichdi loose, since it thickens fast as it cools.
Chef’s Note
Use desi ghee rather than oil for the tempering; the whole spices flavour the ghee and the ghee flavours the pot. A serving comes to about 328 kcal, 9.9 g of protein and 3.7 g of fibre; the numbers count the rice, moong dal and ghee, and the whole spices, ginger and chilli are not in them.
Per serving (approx.): 328 kcal, protein 9.9 g, carbs 52 g, fat 8.1 g, fibre 3.7 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
Aug 19, 2026
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