Kichri With Massour Dal

Name: Kichri With Massour Dal
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Cuisine: indian
Ingredients: 1 cup massour dal (split red lentils); 2 cups basmati rice; 2 tablespoons ghee; 3 small hot green chiles, split lengthwise; 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds; 4 cardamom pods; 1 2-inch stick cinnamon; 6 cloves; 6 black peppercorns; 1 small onion, diced fine; 1/2 teaspoon turmeric; 1 teaspoon salt; 2 cups plain yogurt (optional)

By David Tanis

Total Time: 45 minutes, plus 1 hour’s soaking
Rating: 4(262)
Comments: Read comments

Kichri, a traditional Indian dish, is a delightful savory combination of dal and basmati rice cooked together. Lots of other cultures serve something similar: rice and pigeon peas throughout the Caribbean, or rice and brown lentils in many Middle Eastern countries. It can be served alone, with a dollop of yogurt, for breakfast or lunch, or as a side dish with grilled or roasted meats. Some cooks add more liquid for a kichri that is more on the soupy side. Sizzling the spices in ghee makes the kichri quite aromatic.

Featured in: The How and Why of Dal

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

1cup massour dal (split red lentils)
2cups basmati rice
2tablespoons ghee
3small hot green chiles, split lengthwise
½teaspoon cumin seeds
4cardamom pods
12-inch stick cinnamon
6cloves
6black peppercorns
1small onion, diced fine
½teaspoon turmeric
1teaspoon salt
2cups plain yogurt (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Pick over lentils, then combine with rice in a medium mixing bowl. Add cold water and rinse several times, draining with a fine sieve, until water runs clear. Cover with cold water and soak for 1 hour, then drain well.
Step 2
Heat ghee in a saucepan over medium heat. Add chiles, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and peppercorns. Let sizzle briefly until cumin seeds begin to brown. Add onion, stir to coat and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.
Step 3
Add lentil-rice mixture, turmeric, salt and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil, cover and turn heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes, then let rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff mixture before serving. Accompany with plain yogurt if you wish.

Ratings

4 out of 5

262 user ratings

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Comments

Anastasia7 years ago

I make this recipe every week and keep it in the fridge to use as side dishes with everything. It is a lot of food, and makes easily 8 servings. It is not a soupy dal, but rather thick and pasty as the recipe explains. It might be helpful to note that the photo here is of the lentils and rice before being cooked in the turmeric colored cooking liquid. The dish does not end up looking like that.

Upstairs Woman7 years ago

I agree - was taught to make khichuri by my Indian inlaws using equal quantities of masoor dal and basmati rice.

Morgan6 years ago

I made this with brown rice, which I soaked on its own for about 20 minutes while prepping other ingredients, then simmered for 15 minutes before adding dal (rinsed, not soaked). I mixed in peeled, cubed sweet potato and delicata squash at the same time as dal. The result was fantastic. In addition to rounding out the meal, the addition of the vegetables gave the dish a mild sweetness that played with the other flavors quite nicely.

cdw2 years ago

Agree that the dal was too thick for my taste. Next time I’ll use less rice and probably not presoak the lentils. I cooked up some crispy mushrooms and added them when cooking the rice/lentils. Added cilantro and chopped jalapeños as well as topped with salted peanuts.

Rachael F.3 years ago

Can anyone tell me if this is a very standard, classic combo of spices? I ask because I threw together my usual ‘dal’ this morning, contents based on a fuzzy memory of a tadka dal recipe I can’t find anymore— I fry spices onion in ghee and stick them in a crock pot with lentils, turmeric, water. Then I thought, ‘maybe I should go look at some actual dal recipes for a change.’ These ingredients are literally identical! Is this akin to ‘parsley sage rosemary and thyme’ of basic Indian cooking?

Michelle3 years ago

After reading the comments I used 1:1 rice and lentils; started with sizzling mustard seeds, and otherwise followed recipe. Oh, except I added cucumbers and cumin to the yogurt. Even with the 1:1 ratio, it was far from soupy--a stiff porridge. Still, this was completely delicious and comforting--and beautiful when eaten with the raita and some lime pickle on the side.

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