Moong Dal Khichdi, or Kitchari is a simple dish made with rice and lentils, tempered in ghee with cumin seeds and turmeric. It takes less than 30 minutes to make and is a perfect comfort meal for weeknights or when someone is under the weather!
Khichdi is a favorite food for my daughters. They also love pongal, which is a South Indian variation of khichdi. Anytime when they are fussy about food, sick or really just anytime, give them Khichdi with yogurt and they will savor it to the last bite!
Khichdi is very light and easy to digest, hence it is also a popular meal during an illness. It is also one of the starter foods for babies for the same reason. However I love to have this khichdi on other days as well to get a break from spices and have a simple comfort meal.
What is Khichdi or Kitchari?
Khichdi is basically a rice and lentil porridge, which is typically spiced with turmeric and tempered with ghee and cumin seeds. It is vegetarian and gluten-free.
It can be made with various dals, but the most popular ones to use are moong dal (split yellow lentils) or green moong dal (split green lentils).
Every region or house in India has their own version of khichdi. This is a simple one made with just ghee, cumin seeds, hing (asafoetida) and turmeric. You can vary it by adding ginger or green chili’s or even vegetables.
The recipe I am sharing here is the North Indian version of khichdi. In South India, ven pongal is a popular dish made with rice and lentils. It is very similar to khichdi, but spiced with black peppercorns, curry leaves, ginger and green chili’s.
Some khichdi recipes have onions, tomatoes or veggies added to them, which I would refer to as Masala or Vegetable Khichdi. I have also shared a Quinoa Khichdi recipe. This one is a plain simple khichdi with just lentils and rice.
Khichdi is served with yogurt, pickle and papad. Don’t hesitate to top with a spoon of ghee to get the real flavor!
Kitchari Benefits
Khichdi, also called Kitchari, is recommended by Ayurveda as one of the balanced foods, which is easy to digest, gives strength and vitality. It is excellent for detoxification and de-aging of the cells. Turmeric added to khichdi has lots of good health benefits. You can add ginger to khichdi too.
Khichdi is great to eat if someone is sick or has tummy issues. It is also great as part of a cleanse or detox to reset the digestive system after big meals during the holidays.
Did you know there is a name for a khichdi cleanse diet? It is called PanchaKarma.
It is great for babies as their first food or for elders who need to have foods that are gentle on the digestive system.
How to make Khichdi?
I have used Split Yellow Lentils to make this khichdi. Khichdi can also be prepared with Split Green Moong dal. As I wanted to make this a one-pot recipe, I added the tempering before rice and dal. Khichdi is best prepared in Ghee or Clarified Butter. You can make ghee in your instant pot using the recipe here. To make this recipe vegan, use your favorite plant based oil or vegan butter.
Rinse the dal and rice in a bowl. You can also soak them for 10-15 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
Heat ghee in the instant pot in sauté mode. Add cumin seeds and asafoetida. When the cumin seeds start to sizzle, add equal quantities of lentils and rice. I used half a cup each in this recipe. Add 4 cups water. Stir in the salt and turmeric powder.
Usually khichdi is cooked in double the water than what you use to prepare rice and has a runny consistency, however you can vary the amount of water to get your desired consistency.
Change the instant pot setting to pressure cook mode for 6 minutes. When the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally.
Khichdi is ready. Serve in bowls and top with a dollop of ghee.
Khichdi tastes best when it is warm.
Enjoy Khichdi with mango pickle and yogurt on the side.
You can also serve papad and buttermilk (masala chaas) along with khichdi.
Common Questions
Yes, you can store leftovers for up to 2-3 days in the refrigerator. Let it cool down, then store in an airtight container.
Khichdi does get dry when stored. So add a couple of tablespoons of water per serving before heating to the bowl. Then microwave for 1-2 minutes (varies by quantity). You can also reheat in a pan on stovetop.
Why you want to try this Khichdi:
√ It is real comfort food. Don’t forget to top it with lots of ghee.
√ You are sick and need to have something light.
√ After a weekend of eating outside, you want a detox meal.
So don’t wait; give this Khichdi a try!
You might like other related recipes from Piping Pot Curry:
Instant Pot Khichdi
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Basmati Rice, washed (125ml)
- 1/2 cup Split Yellow Lentils (Moong Dal), washed (125ml)
- 1 tablespoon Ghee , plus more for topping, or oil for vegan
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- 1/8 teaspoon Asafoetida (Hing), optional, skip for gluten-free
- 4 cups Water
- 1 teaspoon Salt, adjust to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
- Cilantro leaves , chopped, to garnish
Instructions
- Add basmati rice and moong dal to a bowl and rinse with water a few times till the water runs clear.
- Heat the instant pot in sauté mode and add ghee in it. Add cumin seeds and asafoetida.
- When the cumin seeds start to sizzle, add rice, moong dal and water. Add the salt and turmeric powder. Give it a stir. Then close lid with vent in sealing position.
- Change the instant pot setting to manual or pressure cook mode at high pressure for 6 minutes.
- When the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally (NPR).
- Khichdi is ready to serve. Serve in bowls topped with a dollop of ghee, along with a side of papad and pickle.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method
- Follow the same steps as above and cook for 3-4 whistles on medium flame. Let the pressure release naturally.
Video
Notes
- Black Peppercorns
- Grated Ginger
- Green Chili Peppers
Nutrition
This recipe has been updated from the recipe archives, first published in 2017.
Hi I made this with the 4 cups of water in the recipe and it was too liquify.. perhaps brave I soaked the dal and rice before?
Hey Gopi – Soaking could make a difference for sure as the dal and rice soak in water. I do not soak when making khichdi. Please adjust water quantity to your taste. Thank you for sharing back your experience.
Hi Meeta,
Would I need to make any changes to the recipe if I use brown masoor dal instead of moong dal?
Thanks!
Hey Kiara – I have not tried this khichdi with masoor dal. Here is what I would try – Soak masoor dal in hot water for 3 hours (as it is whole lentils, it needs more cooking time so we will try to compensate by soaking). Then follow the recipe as is. Please do share how it turns out. Thanks!
Thank you so much! Will definitely let you know how it turns out 🙂
Any changes when using split green moong daal?
Hey Nina – Here is the split moong dal khichdi recipe with vegetables. You can choose to add or skip the vegetables – https://pipingpotcurry.com/lentil-vegetable-khichdi-pressure-cooker/
Hi Meeta,
I just found you and I am in love. I have recently been putting my instant pot to work, practically on the daily, and all of your recipes are things that I’ve always enjoyed in restaurants and never attempted making myself. (expect for dahl and simple curries). My question is whether you have an online spice purveyor that you recommend? Thank you & namaste.. ~Hilary
Hey Hilary – I am happy to hear you are enjoying the recipes and want to try them. I usually get my spices from the Indian grocery store nearby. However recently I have got some from Costco (turmeric, cinnamon). I also see all the Indian spice brands available on Amazon, you can find the links on the recipes. Otherwise, Penzeys spices has been very popular in the instant pot groups. Hope that helps!
Hi Meeta,
I tried this recipe (with white basmati) and it came out great!
Now, I want to try it with brown rice…. have you tried brown rice khichdi?
How much pressure cooking time would you recommend?
What kind of release?
Thank you!
Priya
Hey Priya – Happy to hear that you liked the Moong Dal Khichdi. For your question about making this khichdi with brown rice, I am not sure it would work as well. The reason being brown rice takes much longer to cook and in that much time the moong dal will turn to mush. Other lentils that take longer to cook could work better with brown rice, such as chana dal or masoor dal or split moong lentils. If you try, soak the brown rice in warm water for 3 hours. Then pressure cook at high pressure with the lentils for 12 minutes, follow with a NPR. Hope that helps!
Okay that makes sense …. thanks …. I will try that!:)
This looks really good!!!! I have been sick for over a week with a bad head cold…wish I had seen this earlier but going to make it for sure.!!!
Hey Therese – I am sure you will enjoy this anytime. I make it frequently when I have not planned ahead much. You can also check the khichdi recipe where I just add veggies along with the rice and lentils, to make this a complete meal 🙂
I am going to try your pongal tomorrow as my first Instant Pot recipe … I will let you know tomorrow how it goes!
Hey Laura – I am glad you are trying this as your first recipe. Looking forward to hear how it turns out…
Well, I tried it, and it tasted very good, but I did not get the pongal texture. I have a feeling that it was because I was using the wrong lentils. I didn’t have moong dal – only chana dal. What do you think? It ended up watery. The other possibility was that I didn’t have the instant pot on high pressure – I will have to look into that. My instant pot is new so I don’t know all the ins and outs yet.
Hey Laura – I agree with you that you did not get the pongal texture as the lentils were different. Chana dal also takes longer to cook, and has a very different taste then moong dal. You can set the instant pot on high pressure by pressing the Pressure Level button, which will change between high/low pressure in the DUO series instant pot. Do try it with split moong lentils and let me know how it turns out.
I will try it with moong dal – however, they didn’t have it when I was at superstore, so I am still working with substitutes. My yesterday effort was a bit closer – I used yellow split peas. I also used natural release (which I did not do the first time out of impatience!)
I love pongal – used to have it at a South Indian buffet every Sunday, and it was my favourite dish
Hey Laura – Yellow split peas are certainly closer than chana dal. If you have access to an Indian grocery store, that would be the perfect place to bu lentils. Amazon has them too, but a tad bit expensive than the Indian grocery stores. Hope you get the expected texture and taste 🙂
Hi Nisha,
I just got the IP and am trying out different recipes. Thank you for this recipe. Is it 5 minutes of high pressure or low pressure?
Thank you,
Priya
Hey Priya – Congratulations for the new Instant Pot! The default is high pressure. I will update the recipe to mention that.
great, thank you!
About how long does it typically take for the Natural Release? I’m pretty new to the Instant Pot and I’ve had more IP fails than I’d like. Thanks!
Hey Nisha – It can take upto 20 minutes for NPR depending on the amount of food or the kind of food in the instant pot. If it takes any longer, you can always release the pressure manually. For this khichdi, feel free to NPR after 10 mins too. I hope this one works out and you enjoy it 🙂
So much better this time! Thank you!!
Glad it worked out! Let me know if I can help for any other recipes.
Can you tell me how this differs from Pongal?
Hey Beth – Great question. This is the same as pongal. The difference is nomenclature, north indian’s would call this Khichdi and South Indians would call this pongal. I will add that to the recipe post ????