Recipe- Winter Special Bajra Khichdi

Bajra Khichdi with Green Moong Dal is Protein rich. Our ancestors use to call khichdi as. But in reality it is more than that. It’s a source of high quality protein for vegetarians as it combines a cereal with a pulse. This Bajra Khichdi with Green Moong Dal is a perfect example to prove this. Here bajra, a cereal, has been combined with green moong dal, a split pulse, to make this nourishing treat. 1 serving of this khichdi provides as high as 12 g of protein, making it a Vegetarain protein rich food. Moreover Bajra Khichdi with Green Moong Dal is served with curd.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Ghee or oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 inch ginger or 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
1 green chilli - chopped
½ cup bajra (pearl millet)
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 pinch asafoetida
4 cups water
salt as required
½ cup moong dal

Method

- Take ½ cup bajra (pearl millet) in a grinder jar.

- Using the pulse option grind the bajra coarsely. Do not make a powder of it. Some grains will be crushed and some won’t be. But thats fine. We just need a coarse mixture.

- Now take the coarsely ground bajra in a bowl. Add water and stir. Let the water cover the bajra.

- Wait for some seconds. The fine husk particles will be seen floating on the top of water. Discard the water slowly from the bowl. Repeat this process twice or thrice. Drain all the water and keep aside.

- In another bowl rinse ½ cup moong dal a couple of times in water. Then soak in enough water. You can also use moong dal with husks (chilkewali moong dal) instead of husked yellow moong dal.

Making bajra khichdi

- Heat 2 tablespoons ghee in a 3 litre pressure cooker. You can use oil instead of ghee. Keep the flame to a low.

- Add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds.let the cumin seeds splutter.

- Then add 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger and 1 green chili, chopped.

- Stir and fry for a few seconds till the raw aroma of ginger goes away.

- Then add the bajra.mix the bajra well. Keep on stirring as the bajra sticks at the bottom of the cooker. Keep the flame to a low.

- Then add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and 1 pinch asafoetida (hing). Mix again.

- Pour 2 cups water.season with salt as per taste.

- Cover and pressure cook for 6 to 7 minutes or for 4 to 5 whistles on medium flame.

- When the pressure drops on its own, remove the lid of the cooker.

- Stir the semi cooked bajra mixture very well. The bajra grains will be half cooked.

- Drain all the water from the moong dal and add in the pressure cooker.

- Add 2 cups water.stir and mix very well.

Cooking bajra khichdi