Bikaneri Wheat Khichdi

This Bikaner's famous khichdi is little different than usual khichdi. Instead of rice, wheat is paired with moong daal. If you prefer your khichdi very soft then this khichdi may surprise you. Even if you cook for a long time, the texture of this khichdi remains little chewy due to wheat grains.

I added my own twist to this khichdi by using wheat sprouts! I got the inspiration of using the wheat sprouts from this article .

Bikaneri Gehun ki Khichdi

Ingredients

1 cup wheat sprouts

1 cup moog daal

3 cups water

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp coriander-cumin powder

3-5 black peppercorn

1 cinnamon

1 bay leaf

3 cloves

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 green chili chopped

1 red chili

salt to taste

Method

1. Wash moog daal. Soak moog daal and wheat sprouts with 3 cups water for at least 2 hours.

2. Add rest of the ingredients.
3. Pressure cook for 4 whistles. Let the pressure drop completely of its own before opening the cooker.

4. When you take it out, it will look like a thin porridge.

5. Simmer on a low flame for about 10 minutes.

6. Serve hot with a dollop of ghee, pickle and Bikaneri papad.

Note -

1. Khichdi will become thick if left for a long time. Let it simmer more to evaporate the water if you prefer dry/thick/pullao type khichdi. Do not let it simmer if you prefer thinner/porridge like khichdi.

2. Even if you do not prefer a dollop of ghee, at least take it 1/4 tsp of ghee. Because that's what enhances the taste of this simple, heartwarming khichdi.

3. I generally like to keep protein(Moog daal) to carb (wheat) ratio 1:1. But you can adjust ratio per your own liking.

Here's Tarla Dalal's recipe for Bikaneri Khichdi.

This is how I made wheat sprouts
1. Soak wheat grains/berries in water overnight.
2. Let them sprout. It took more time than the usual beans/legumes.
3. I sprinkled little water on the berries when they were in the process of sprouting.
4. It took more than 24 hours to sprout but I kept a close vigil just to make sure that they are not turning rancid.


This post is my contribution to Meeta's one-dish dinner.