If you’re looking for the perfect Pakistani comfort food then look no further! If it’s a cold day and you want to warm yourself up or you’re feeling under the weather this Rice and Lentil Porridge is just what you need. Trust me, I speak from experience. Kichri is a simple dish to make with just a few key ingredients, but there’s something wonderfully comforting about the simplicity of it. And don’t take the simplicity to mean it doesn’t have flavor – of course not! This savory, soft, sticky rice porridge is topped with a pat of creamy butter and flavored with an aromatic, infused oil that makes its way into the rice. That’s enough describing it! Let’s get to cooking it, shall we?
Ingredients:
- 2 cups dry basmati rice
- 1 cup yellow lentils (moong ki daal), peeled and split
- 6-7 cups water
- 2.5 teaspoons salt, to taste
- butter, optional for topping
- Sweet pepper, for garnish
For Baghar (Infused oil topping):
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon fried onion
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed tomato
Directions:
To start off, I like to mix my dry rice and lentils together in a mixing bowl and then rinse it. To rinse cover it with water and swish it around and pour out the water. Rinse and drain the rice/lentils until the water goes from cloudy to clear, about 3 times. Then add more water to cover and let everything soak for 30 minutes before cooking.
After soaking, drain the rice and lentils and place into a large cooking pot. Add in half the water amount and salt then bring the water to a simmer on high heat. Once it’s simmering, lower the heat, cover the pot, and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover the pot, add in the remaining water and cover to continue cooking. Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes. I like to add the water half at a time to prevent it boiling over. But you can definitely add it all at once and cook. Uncover the pot and lightly mix the rice to see the consistency. The rice and lentils should be soft, sticky and the mixture should be a thick porridge. Some people like it to be thinner, in this case, add in a cup more of water (at a time) and mix until at the desired consistency. Be sure to taste the Kichri at this point and adjust the seasoning if needed.
To top off your Kichri and add an extra crunch and spice you can make a Baghar or Takda (an infused oil). In a clean shallow pan add in the vegetable oil, fried onion, and cumin seeds. Bring it to medium-high heat until bubbling – let everything fry and toast in the oil for around 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and add in the crushed tomato and mix into infused oil. Set the baghar aside until no longer hot.
It’s serving time! I like to serve my Kichri fresh while its warm and add a pat of butter on top then spoon over some of the baghar. The baghar adds an extra element of crunch and an aromatic flavor to the sticky, soft Kichri. And with the little addition of butter that melts down into the rice to add another level of creaminess it’s just the perfect comfort food! To garnish, feel free to thinly slice a sweet pepper for some freshness.
Kichri (Pakistani Rice and Lentil Porridge)
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry basmati rice
- 1 cup yellow lentils (moong ki daal), peeled and split
- 6-7 cups water
- 2½ teaspoons salt, to taste
- butter, optional for topping
- Sweet pepper, for garnish
For Baghar (Infused oil topping):
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon fried onion
- ½ teaspoon crushed tomato
Instructions
- Mix dry rice and lentils into a mixing bowl and rinse with water, about 3 times until water goes from cloudy to clear. Cover with water and let it soak for 30 minutes
- Drain the soaked rice and lentils. Add the mixture to a large cooking pot and cover with the water. Sprinkle in the salt and stir to mix. On high heat bring the mixture to a simmer then lower the heat to low and cover. Cook for 10-15 minutes. Check every 5 minutes to see consistency
- Once rice and lentils are soft and sticky (a thick porridge) you can decide to add more water if you want a thinner porridge. Add a cup at a time and cook on low until absorbed.
- When Kichri is at desired consistency taste for salt and adjust if needed.
For Baghar:
- In a small, shallow pan add in the vegetable oil, cumin seeds, and fried onion. Fry on high heat until bubbling and everything is toasted – about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and add in the crushed tomato and mix to combine.
- Once Baghar is ready you can serve. To serve, (optionally) add a pat of butter on top of serving of Kichri and spoon over the fresh baghar. Garnish with thinly sliced sweet pepper for added freshness
- Enjoy!
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