I must thank my friend Aditi for this mixed dal khichdi recipe. She not only gave me this recipe but patiently explained it to me for something like 4-5 times. Every time we spoke on the phone she would tell me the names of the lentils and their proportion. I would vow to write it down and then forget about it. Next time we spoke on the phone, again I would ask her to repeat the recipe and then forget the ingredients. Finally after she explained it to me for the 4th or 5th time, I decided enough is enough; if I don’t make this khichdi now I’m never going to make it. :-)
Now if you read the recipe you’ll think it’s such a simple recipe, what’s there to not remember. The thing is, I didn’t cook much before Devansh was born. I was a working professional and left daily cooking in the able hands of my cook. I cooked occasionally but can’t say I experimented much with lentils. So every time Aditi took names like green moong dal and masoor dal my eyes would glaze over. :-) Not the black masoor dal, use the orange one, she would patiently explain. So thanks Aditi for this wonderful recipe and for your patience.As we know, proteins are an important part of a balanced diet. And lentils are one of the top meatless protein sources. Therefore this khichdhi which is made of three different types of lentils, is a healthy lunch food option for babies. I think it can be safely given to babies after they have accepted the taste of moong dal khichdi. So I’d say this mixed dal khichdi recipe can be categorized as baby food for seven month and older babies. Just make sure you make it runny enough for them to swallow it properly.
Mixed Dal Khichdi Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp yellow moong dal split yellow gram, green moong dal (split green gram), and masoor dal (red lentils)—you need 1 tbsp of all these dals together and not 1 tbsp of each dal individually
- 2 tbsp rice
- Pinch of hing asafoetida
- Pinch of haldi turmeric powder
- Pinch of jeera powder
- Salt to taste
- 3 tbsp mashed vegetables
Instructions
- Wash the lentils and allow them to dry. I usually make the mixture of lentils to last me for a couple of weeks. So I take about a cupful of each lentil for roasting.
- Roast the lentils in a pan for 5-10 minutes while stirring them continuously. This time will depend on the quantity of the lentils. I prefer to roast each type of lentil separately. For one serving of khichdi, you need about 1 tbsp of lentils. You can store the remaining roasted lentils in an airtight container for future use.
- Grind the roasted lentils coarsely in a blender if your baby has just been introduced to solids. The lentils should be ground to the size of jada rava (coarse semolina). Devansh’s pediatrician’s advice was, don’t grind grains to a fine powder before cooking. I followed this advice diligently as I’d heard enough stories about kids who’re now 2 and 3 and yet can eat only mashed food. So, initially mash the khichdi finely and make it runny, almost soupy. But gradually start mashing it coarsely and thicken the consistency.
- Wash 2 tbsp of rice properly and add 1 tbsp of roasted lentils to it. The proportion of rice to lentils should be 2:1.
- Add hing, haldi, jeera powder, and salt. (Note: It is recommended to avoid adding salt in babies’ food till they turn one. However, in my case I found that Devansh just wouldn’t eat his food without salt. Hence, I started adding little bit of salt in his food. You can decide whether you want to add salt or not after talking to your child’s pediatrician.)
- Add one and a half cup of water. (If you want to make the khichdi soupy you can add more water later after it’s cooked. That way you’ll get a better idea of its consistency.)
- Cook rice and lentils in a pressure cooker on medium flame for about 15-20 minutes (8-9 whistles).
- Mash the khichdi finely or coarsely depending on your baby’s age.
- Add mashed vegetables and mix them properly with the khichdi. (The recipe of mashed vegetables is provided in this blog. Mashed vegetables are already cooked but if you want to use fresh vegetables, cook them along with the khichdi instead of adding them at this later stage.)
- Add some homemade ghee to the khichdi before serving it to your baby. Curd goes very well with this khichdi. If you have introduced dairy products in your baby’s diet, you can feed your baby some curd along with this khichdi.
Notes
Follow steps 1-8 as listed above.
Heat a pan and add 1 tsp of homemade ghee to it.
Add about 1/4th tsp jeera powder (you can use cumin seeds for older kids).
Add mashed vegetables.
Add a pinch of red chili powder if your baby’s older than a year or so and you want to introduce spicy food (teekha khana) to him/her.
Stir for about half a minute.
Add mashed khichdi and stir well before turning off heat.
