This dish is best cooked in a pressure cooker, so Instant Pot is the perfect and very handy gadget to cook.
What is Khichdi?
Khichdi, Khichadi, or Kitchari is a healthy porridge-like dish cooked with lentils and rice. Referred to as the Indian “comfort food”, it is often used for babies and the elderly, a healthy meal that is easy to chew, digest, and good for the body!
What’s so special about Khichdi?
The combination of lentils and rice makes Khichdi a complete meal. Moong beans are healthy and easy to digest. So when your stomach is upset then it is best to have khichdi. It can also be served to small babies and the elderly since it is easy to digest. In Ayurveda, moong is one lentil that is recommended for balancing all three doshas (Kapha, Pitta & Vata).In India, when someone is ill or recovering from illness, then Dalia and moong dal khichdi is often served to him/her. Even doctors recommend khichdi to patients.It is also a perfect meal when you are under the weather and looking for something light.It is vegetarian, gluten-free, and can be easily made vegan by replacing ghee with your favorite plant-based oil.This dish is very versatile, you can use any veggies you have available, and it always turns out great.
I grew up eating khichdi for a LOT of dinner meals. I cook many variations of this dish, so when someone asks me about khichdi, there are so many different recipes that come to my mind like Vaghareli khichdi, quinoa khichdi, vegetable khichdi, arhar dal khichdi, panchmel khichdi, etc. So today I am sharing our most favorites Spinach khichdi recipe with you all.
Spinach Khichdi (Palak Khichdi)
Palak khichdi is an upgraded version of regular khichadi which has all the benefits of khichdi with nutrients from spinach. This recipe is very unique with the addition of spinach leaves which gives not only an interesting color but also a distinctive flavor. This recipe tastes so good. It’s not sick, weird, and gloopy food. It’s healthy, nutritious, and comforting. And it’s a dish that you share with family. It’s a meal that everyone will enjoy.
Ingredients required
Rice – to prepare khichdi any rice can be used but I would heavily recommend using Short grain rice like Sona masoori rice, ambe more, kali jeera, or a similar variety. The short-grain rice helps to attain the mushy texture as compared to the basmati.Moong dal – I have used skinless split moong dal to make this recipe. You can use it with skin split moong dal too.Spinach – Use fresh and green spinach. I have used baby spinach here.Whole spices – I have used cloves, bay leaves, and cinnamon.Onion – you can use red, golden, white, or green onionGarlic – If green garlic available, I would highly recommend you to use that. I have used regular garlic cloves here.Ghee – Use gree for tempering. It gives the best flavors. To make it vegan, you can use oil.Cumin seeds, curry leaves, and hingGinger, garlic, and green chili paste – If you don’t have paste ready on hand, you can use freshly grated ginger-chili-garlic.Garam Masala – This is optional.Salt
How to make Palak Khichdi? Step by step process
Take rice and lentils in a bowl. Rinse 2 to 3 times with water and drain all the water. (image 1) Add rice, lentils, water, Bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, and salt to the Instant Pot insert, cover the pot with its locking lid, and pressure cook for 10 minutes. (If using a stovetop pressure cooker, take 4 whistles). (Image 2 to 7) Once cooking time is done, let the pressure release naturally. Open the pot, take out the bay leaves, cloves and cinnamon. Keep the khichdi aside. In a large pot bring 4 to 5 cups of water to boil. Add baby spinach and blanch for 1 to 2 minutes or just until all the spinach wilts. (image 8 to 10) Take out the spinach in a strainer. Drain out the water completely. (image 11) Take blanched spinach to a blender and make a smooth puree. (image 12 and 13) In a large pot heat ghee. Add cumin seeds, curry leaves, and hing. Allow them to sizzle, about 30 seconds. Add ginger-garlic-chili paste and finely diced onions, and cook for 3 to 4 mins. (image 14 to 17) Now add spinach puree. Let it cook for about a minute. Then add the cooked rice and dal (from step 1 above) and garam masala. Mix everything. (image 18 to 20) Add more water if you want soft and completely mushy khichdi. Switch off the flame. Serve immediately with more ghee, pickle, curd, papad, and onion.
Notes and pro-tips
If making palak khichdi for small kids then you can skip or reduce the garam masala. Also, skip adding green chili.The consistency of a khichdi is a personal preference. We like ours on the mushier side, but if you prefer it less mushy, reduce the water by a cup. You can also add more water if you like and cook it further if you want your version mushier.To reheat, just add a little water and heat itGhee gives a better flavor in khichdi than the oil.You can serve khichdi with curd or accompanying raita or papad.This recipe makes medium spicy khichdi, but you can adjust the amount of green chili paste or completely omit them when serving to babies or toddlers, or elderly family membersTo make brown rice khichdi, increase the water to 4 cups and the pressure cook time to 22 minutes followed by natural pressure release.To make vegan khichdi substitute oil for the gheeYou can also use frozen spinach instead of fresh, the color may not come out as vibrant but it will taste equally good.
More one-pot meal recipes
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