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.