Quinoa Khichdi

Quinoa Khichdi is quinoa and lentils cooked with spices & mixed veggies. This has been a staple in my kitchen for many years and we love it anytime for a comforting and wholesome meal. While the traditional khichdi is made with yellow moong dal, rice & minimal spices, this modern version replaces rice with quinoa, can be made with red lentils and uses lot more veggies than the traditional dish.

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Like most lentil dishes, this one is fast to make if you use a instant pot or pressure cooker. However I’ve included the instructions to make it in a regular pot, on the stovetop in the recipe card below. It takes a little longer for the lentils to cook down without a cooker. But the recipe is quite simple and requires only few minutes for the preparation.

This can be eaten on its own, without a side but plain yogurt, Indian pickle/achar, or a spicy Thecha , Tomato Chutney and papads make great accompaniments to this Quinoa Khichdi. Plain yogurt improves the nutrition profile, achar brings extra heat & flavor and papads add some texture. But honestly the dish tastes very delicious even without these.

My recipe uses minimal spices, yet it tastes delicious as much of the flavor comes from the basic pantry ingredients. However I make a special black pepper ghee tadka at the end which transforms the dish completely. To make it a one pot dish, you may omit it.

Ingredients

• Spices: like ginger, cumin seeds & black pepper are essential as they release flavor when they are added to hot ghee. Whole spices or aromatic ground spices like garam masala are not required.
• Veggies: Carrot, green peas, green beans & French beans are best for this dish. Butternut squash & pumpkin also taste good but become very mushy so keep them large. I don’t use onions. Avoid using eggplants, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower as they get overcooked.
• Tomatoes and spinach: I normally use a small deseeded tomato & baby spinach. But feel free to omit them.
• Lentils: Yellow moong dal, split green moong dal (chilka dal) and red lentils/ masoor dal are best here.
• Quinoa: I used white quinoa here but the recipe works with tricolor or brown/red quinoa too. Just increase the cooktime by 1 min for the IP and 3 to 4 mins for the stovetop cooking.

Photo Guide

How to make Quinoa Khichdi (Stepwise photos)

1. Add half cup moong dal or masoor dal and half cup quinoa to a colander and rinse directly under running water for 2 to 3 mins. Add ¾ to 1 tablespoon ghee to the instant pot and press saute button. Add 10 cashews (split if you want) and fry them until light golden. Remove and reserve aside to garnish.

2. Add ¾ teaspoon cumin seeds and 1½ teaspoon grated ginger (or 2 tsps minced) across the sides.

3. When they begin to sizzle, add

• 1 green chili (optional)
• optional – 1 small deseeded chopped tomato or 4 to 5 cherry tomatoes
• 1½ to 2 cups chopped mixed veggies such as carrots, beans & green peas.

4. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes and stir in

• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder (or use 1 slit green chili + black pepper)
• ½ to ¾ teaspoon sea salt.

5. Add the rinsed dal & quinoa

6. Pour 3 cups water.

Pressure cook

7. Cover the pressure cooker. Press porridge button and set the timer to 4 mins (high pressure).

8. After 10 mins, release the pressure manually. It’s more moist at the bottom at this stage.

9. If using add 3 to 4 cups of chopped baby spinach. (125 grams). (I was using a 3 qt IP)

10. Press saute button & let cook for 1 minute, until the spinach wilts.

Optional Tadka

11. On a medium flame, heat 1 tablespoon ghee in a small pan. Add 1 broken dried red chili and let it fry for 30 to 60 seconds. Add ¼ to ½ teaspoon freshly crushed black pepper & a pinch of asafoetida/ hing (optional). Pour ¼ cup water and bring to a rolling boil. Turn off and stir into the quinoa khichdi.

Adjust salt and squeeze lemon juice to taste before serving. Garnish with cashews. Serve Quinoa Khichdi with yogurt, pickle or papads.

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