Broccoli Masala Khichdi is a yummy twist to the famous Indian Khichdi. A tasty comfort food where broccoli rice & lentils are cooked with Indian spices. 

Broccoli Masala Khichdi is what comfort food looks like. Khichdi traditionally is made with rice and lentils which is tempered with Indian spices. The milder versions are served to kids and older people because it is easy to digest and is nutritious. In fact, even when someone falls sick, khichdi is what is served to them because when one falls sick, all they want is their mom’s comforting touch and a bowl of warm khichdi. Just the aroma of it being made, makes you feel better already. I could eat it all day non stop, it’s so delicious. Most moms in Indian kitchens would prepare this easy vegetarian dish on days when they are bored to cook, there’s nothing else to eat or when they are home sick or want to eat something that is easy on the stomach. 

While I love the simpler versions of this recipe, I was in mood to make Masala Khichdi today! Surprisingly, KR is not a huge fan of this dish and no matter how much I convince him, he is unwilling to even try it out. I really wonder why! Anyways, since I was the one craving for this masala khichdi, I decided to make it with a twist. The recipe that I know is passed on from my mom. Hailing from a small town in South of India, my mom came to Bombay post her marriage to my dad and started adapting to this new upbeat city in her own way. Since my dad loved the local food, it was one of the first things she learnt coming here. Our friendly neighbors came to her rescue and taught her some amazing North Indian recipes and one of them was Masala Khichdi. 

Over the years, she gave this khichdi her own flavors and we got used to that. I still remember, she would always make Masala Khichdi for me before my exams. It would help me calm down and focus better when I am well fed. That logic applies to me even today. KR teases me that I am the happiest and chirpiest when I am well fed! 🙂 Don’t blame me, my mom spoilt me well. 😉  There was a time when my mom was out station during my exams and I was sulking the whole time because I wanted to eat khichdi. Thanks to my wonderful neighbor, she prepared it for me that night which I ate till my heart’s content and went for my exam the next day, confident. So you see, Khichdi does plays a very important role in my life. Being a food blogger today, I like to add variations to tried and tested recipes just to give it new flavors and a fresh mix. Today’s twist was brought in by the wonder vegetable called broccoli. 

Broccoli’s unique flavor and incredible nutritional value has made it one of the most popular vegetables not just in the United States. Its unique health-promoting sulfur-containing compounds and concentration of vitamins and minerals makes it a great choice to feature in your Healthiest Way of Eating. I wanted to see how it would taste in a khichdi! Here is what I did. First soak rice and moong dal lentils in water for about 30 minutes. Then boil them along with cubed potatoes, turmeric powder, salt, dhania jeera powder and chilly powder and 3 times the water quantity to lentils and rice in a pressure cooker. I gave it 5 whistles. Refer the pic below to see the consistency of the dal once its done. Mince broccoli in a food processor. Heat oil in a pan and temper mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Then fry the ginger, garlic and green chillies till the raw smell disappears. 

Now add sliced onions and curry leaves, saute till they turn translucent. Then add green peas and minced broccoli. Continue to saute till the broccoli is cooked and the mixture is dry. Lastly add the cooked rice and lentils. Give it all a good mix and cook for another minute. 

Garnish with chopped cilantro and ghee on top. Broccoli Masala Khichdi is now ready. You can enjoy this with some pickle, papad or raita. 

When you come home to meals like his, one feels comforted and such foods helps you calm down and destress. The addition of broccoli makes it more nutritious and gives it a nice taste. The ghee on top is like an icing on the cake, boosts the taste and it also gives it its tantalizing aroma. This khichdi is soft, tender and easy to digest. This is truly the best Broccoli Masala Khichdi ever!!

Broccoli Masala Khichdi

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Author Priya Lakshminarayan

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice
• 1 cup moong dal
• 1 potato
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp dhania jeera powder
• 1 tsp chilly powder
• Salt as required
• 6 cups water
• 2 cups broccoli
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp minced ginger
• 4-5 garlic cloves minced
• 3 green chillies
• 1 onion
• 3-4 curry leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• Ghee as required

Instructions

• First soak rice and moong dal lentils in water for about 30 minutes. Then boil them along with cubed potatoes, turmeric powder, salt, dhania jeera powder and chilly powder and 3 times the water quantity to lentils and rice in a pressure cooker. I gave it 5 whistles. Refer the pic below to see the consistency of the dal once its done. Mince broccoli in a food processor. Heat oil in a pan and temper mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Then fry the ginger, garlic and green chillies till the raw smell disappears.
• Now add sliced onions and curry leaves, saute till they turn translucent. Then add green peas and minced broccoli. Continue to saute till the broccoli is cooked and the mixture is dry. Lastly add the cooked rice and lentils. Give it all a good mix and cook for another minute.
• Garnish with chopped cilantro and ghee on top. Broccoli Masala Khichdi is now ready. You can enjoy this with some pickle, papad or raita.

Notes

The proportion of water to rice & lentils is 3 times. For ex. 1 cup of rice + lentils, then add 3 cups of water.

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Some other rice dishes that you can try on a weeknight or on weekends are Eggplant Fried Rice | Vangi Bhaat | Brinjal Rice, Vegetarian Thai Chilly Fried Rice, Indian Coconut Rice, Pepper Rice With Black Eyed Peas and Tomato Soy Pilaf Rice. 

If you do try this recipe, please do share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. This will keep me motivated to develop more interesting recipes. Click a pic and post it with the hashtag #cookiliciousveg . I would love to see your pictures on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!