It was my first winter, just after few months of joining Centre for Social Justice, Ahmedabad-Gujarat, when I joined my office’s food club and offered to give treat to my colleagues and decided to cook for everyone, including the Dalit cooks of the food club.
It was a strange announcement from my side that I will cook ‘Multani Khichdi’; a name instantaneously discovered by me for the kind of Khichdi, which I intended to serve.
A Khichdi, without boundaries of master and servant, officer and peon, boss and employee, indeed a classless Khichdi with a class was the idea to serve. And was also the realization of fact that food can bridge boundaries of class, idea and beliefs.
It was the day when I strongly demonstrated my urge to own my office and people around me. Food became the words of expression, in which everyone took part either by giving direct hand while cooking, Rocky, our driver and other two Dalit cooks and rest of the people by having the feast and sharing their words of appreciation from beginning to the end.
Believe me; this has helped to induce new interest in many people of my office. So, anyone who wants to try this in his office, hostel, family, should try this out.
This Khichdi was like any other North Indian Masaledar Khichdi with little combination, fusion and improvisation.
To make the task easy for all men who love cooking I am bringing here, the recipe for 4 persons, you, your girl friend/wife (if any), and one of your closest friend and her closest friend. You can undoubtedly, cook it for your mother, father, family and friends.
It is simple and tasty.
It was a strange announcement from my side that I will cook ‘Multani Khichdi’; a name instantaneously discovered by me for the kind of Khichdi, which I intended to serve.
A Khichdi, without boundaries of master and servant, officer and peon, boss and employee, indeed a classless Khichdi with a class was the idea to serve. And was also the realization of fact that food can bridge boundaries of class, idea and beliefs.
It was the day when I strongly demonstrated my urge to own my office and people around me. Food became the words of expression, in which everyone took part either by giving direct hand while cooking, Rocky, our driver and other two Dalit cooks and rest of the people by having the feast and sharing their words of appreciation from beginning to the end.
Believe me; this has helped to induce new interest in many people of my office. So, anyone who wants to try this in his office, hostel, family, should try this out.
This Khichdi was like any other North Indian Masaledar Khichdi with little combination, fusion and improvisation.
To make the task easy for all men who love cooking I am bringing here, the recipe for 4 persons, you, your girl friend/wife (if any), and one of your closest friend and her closest friend. You can undoubtedly, cook it for your mother, father, family and friends.
It is simple and tasty.
Things one will need while cooking ‘Multani Khichdi’ for four persons:
- Fine Basmati rice- 400 gms (Washed and soaked thoroughly in clean water)
- Masoor dal- 200 gms (Washed and soaked thoroughly in clean water)
- Chana dal (Gram Dal)- 20 gms (Washed and soaked thoroughly in clean water)
- Cabbage- 200 gms (Sliced, not very thick)
- Cauliflower- 200 gms (Cut in to medium sized pieces)
- Carrot- 100 gms (Sliced in to 1 inch fingers)
- Green Peas- 200 gms (pealed)
- Potatoes- 100 gms (Pealed, cut in to 1 cm square pieces)
- French beans- 50 gms. (Cut in to 1 cm pieces)
- Onion- 400 + 200 gms (Chopped long)
- Spring onion- 100 gms (finally chopped)
- Tomatoes- 100 gms- chopped in to small pieces (1 cm)
- Green chilies- 4 (Cut and incision from the middle)
- Whole Garam masala- Black cardamom- 4, green cardamom- 4, black cumin- ¼ tsp, white cumin- ½ tsp, black pepper- 1 tsp, cinnamon- 1 stick/flake, clove- ¼ tsp, javitri- 4 flakes and finally Chopped Ginger- 2 inch
- Salt- ½ tsp or to taste
- Sugar- 1 tsp
Recipe-
1. Put 4 Table Spoons of ghee (Most Preferred)/olive oil/mustard oil in a pressure cooker or any vessel.
2. Put the pressure cooker on the flame to heat for few minutes.
3. First of all put green chilies in to the heated ghee.
4. Immediately then, put 400 gms. of chopped onion in to the hot ghee.
5. Add chopped ginger and then all the whole spices in to the onion.
6. Add ½ tsp salt (Or according to your taste) in the onion.
7. Stir the onion and chilies with all the whole spices till the onion becomes light brown.
8. Add one by one all the vegetables except chopped tomatoes, in to the onion and spices.
9. Stir it for a while, not less than 4 minutes, the vegetables will lose some water.
10. Add chana dal and Masoor dal in the vessel.
11. After 1 minute add soaked basmati rice in to the vessel, and leave it for a while in the vessel, so that the rice become crisper.
12. After 2 minutes, add chopped tomatoes, 300 ml of water and 1 tsp sugar and mix it well.
13. Cover the pressure cooker with lid and wait for the first whistle.
14. Put the pressure cooker / vessel off flame after first whistle.
15. Don’t release pressure immediately from the cooker.
16. Serve with onion / cucumber / carrot raita, achar, roasted papad, coriander chatni / Pudina Chatni / garlic-red pepper chatni / roasted tomatoes’ chatni, potato chokha, brinjal ka bharta.