This Simple Indian Dish is really a healthy food option!

You know what, not all Indian dishes are spicy! There are multiple dishes out there which are really good for your health, as well as very easy to digest. The most prominent one is Khichdi.

Khichdi is a simple dish made with rice, lentils and spices. It is a staple food loved by Indians.  Every Indian state has its own version of khichdi like oats khichidi, bajra khichdi and jawar khichdi.  

It’s a superfood for all age groups because it is easy to digest. 

Khichdi is so light to digest, it the food of choice for aged and sick people. It is also given to babies as their first solid food. 

In terms of nutrition, we can modify the recipe by adding lots of vegetables like beetroot, carrot, spinach etc into it. Khichdi is a great source of fiber, which helps in stomach related problems.  The biggest plus point of khichdi is that it is the first solid food fed to babies and it is also light to stomach. 

Khichdi also have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties because of usage of spices like turmeric, cumin, and hing (Asafetida).  It also helps to get rid from ageing. 

Below are the benefits of Khichdi:

• Khichdi is a nourishing meal, you can say it is a complete meal in itself. It contains the right balance of carbohydrates and proteins. The original recipe can be modified to add different vegetables to it, to make it even more nutritious.
• Balances out your body dosha. It is a detoxifying food, increases your energy and immunity, and stimulates the digestive enzymes.
• Khichdi is really easy to digest. We know we've said it before, but this is really an important benefit of this food. It is a calming food for the intestines, and helps in regulating upset stomach.

Preparation of Khichdi

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice 
  
• 1/2 cup split green moong beans 
  
• 1 tablespoon. clarified butter or Ghee 
  
• 1 tablespoon of mustard seeds (optional) 
  
• 1/2 tablespoon of cumin powder (jeera) 
  
• 1/2 tablespoon turmeric powder (Haldi) 
  
• One Pinch asafoetida powder (Hing) 

Preparation

• Rinse the rice and moong beans with water to remove any dust or unwanted particles.
• Put them in a clean pot.
• Add 3 cups of water in the cooking pot and bring it to a boil. While the moong beans and rice are cooking, we can prepare the spices.
• Add ghee to a flat pan and put it on medium heat.
• Add various spices like mustard seeds, cumin, turmeric and asafoetida powders according to your choice and taste. The mustard seeds will start to pop within a few seconds.
• Pour this spice mixture over the cooked rice and dal.
• Let it simmer/cook for about 35 minutes. You can add more water at various intervals during cooking if you prefer it to be more soupy.

Here's a youtube video, if you prefer to watch instead of reading :