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1
Fry the Whole Spices in Ghee
5 Mins
Medium heat, ~175°C (350°F)
Heat the ghee and oil in a heavy pot. Add the bay leaf, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves and fry for about 30 seconds until they smell fragrant, then add the onion, garlic, ginger and green chilli and fry for about 3 minutes until the onion is soft and golden.
Keep the heat at medium — whole spices burn fast in ghee, and burnt spices turn the whole pot bitter.
Done when: Onion soft and golden, spices fragrant, ghee shimmering.
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2
Bhuna the Vegetables & Ground Spices
5 Mins
Medium heat, ~175°C (350°F)
Add the potato, cauliflower and carrot and fry for 2 minutes so the edges take on a little colour. Stir in the tomato, turmeric, cumin, coriander and half the salt, and fry for about 3 minutes until the tomato softens and the oil starts to separate at the edges — this frying step is the bhuna the dish is named for.
Fry until you see little pools of golden oil at the edges of the pan; that is the sign the spices are cooked, not raw.
Done when: Vegetables lightly coloured, tomato melted into the spices, oil glistening at the edges.
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3
Add Rice, Dal & Water
5 Mins
Boiling, 100°C (212°F)
Add the drained rice and moong dal and stir gently for 1 minute so every grain is coated in the spiced ghee. Pour in the water, add the sugar and the rest of the salt, and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom once so nothing sticks.
Stir gently and only once or twice — rough stirring breaks the rice grains and turns the khichuri gluey.
Done when: Water at a rolling boil, rice and dal evenly mixed through the vegetables.
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4
Simmer Covered Until Soft
25 Mins
Low heat, ~95°C (200°F)
Turn the heat to low, put the lid on tight and simmer for about 25 minutes without lifting the lid. Stir in the peas and garam masala in the last 5 minutes, then take the pot off the heat.
Do not lift the lid to check — the trapped steam is what cooks the rice and dal evenly.
Done when: Rice and dal completely soft, grains holding their shape but yielding to the spoon, no loose water left.
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5
Rest & Fluff
10 Mins
No heat — resting, ~60°C (140°F)
Leave the pot covered for 10 minutes so the grains settle and the steam finishes the cooking. Fish out the bay leaf and cinnamon stick, fluff gently with a fork, and serve hot with green chilli and lemon wedges on the side.
Fluff with a fork, never a spoon — a spoon mashes the soft grains together.
Done when: Soft, separate grains in a golden, fragrant mound that holds together on the plate.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve hot in deep plates with a fried egg or fried eggplant on the side, and let everyone squeeze lemon over their own portion.
Bangladesh
45m
Italy