Vegetable Dal Kichdi

Dal Chaaval (lentils and rice) is the ultimate Indian comfort food. Dal Kichdi is a version where rice and lentils are cooked together into a soft, mushy form. The type of lentils/pulses usually used are split green moong beans - rich in protein. I ran out of green moong beans, so I made some with regular yellow moong dal. This is similar to Venn Pongal, except I add some vegetables and some extra spices to make this into a one-pot nutritious meal.

Ingredients (serves 5):

1. 3/4 cup basmati rice
2. 3/4 cup moong dal / payatham paruppu (use split green moong beans if you have around)
3. 1 medium onion, chopped
4. 1 tomato, chopped
5. 1 cup spinach, chopped
6. 1/2 head of a cauliflower, chopped
7. 2 tablespoons olive oil
8. 2 teaspoons cumin seeds / jeera
9. 1.5 tablespoons curry powder of your choice / Kitchen King masala (or 2 teaspoons coriander powder, 1 teaspoon cumin powder, 1 teaspoon chilli powder and 1 teaspoon garam masala)
10. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
11. 2.5 teaspoons salt (or as needed; remember to add enough salt for the rice too)
12. a dollop of ghee/clarified butter (optional)
13. a few sprigs of coriander leaves / cilantro for garnishing

Preparation:

1. After rinsing the basmati rice and moong dal, soak them in water for twenty minutes. It's fine to soak them together.
2. Heat oil in a pressure cooker / sauce pan. When hot, add cumin seeds and wait for it to sizzle. Add onion and saute until translucent. 
3. Add tomato, half of the salt and turmeric powder and cook until tomato is soft and well cooked.
4. Add spinach and cauliflower and cook for 5 minutes along with the remaining salt.
5. Add curry powder (or spice blend of your choice) and mix well into the vegetables.
6. Add drained rice and moong dal and 4.5 cups of water (3 cups of water for 1 cup of rice+moong dal). Add more water if your rice is different. The rice is cooked to a mush in kichdi. So add 1 - 1.5 cups of extra water than what the rice usually demands. Cook for 3-4 whistles in a pressure cooker. Else, cook until the water is absorbed and the rice/dal is cooked really well.

Kichdi is ready! Garnish kichi with coriander leaves (I was too hungry to garnish). Serve kichdi with a dollop of ghee.

Kichdi thickens and dries in a few hours. So reheat by adding a little water.