This was one of those throw-together recipes that turned out a lot nicer than I expected. It's heavy on the spices, so go easy if you don't eat spicy food. The Khichdi mix is basically a mix of rice, toor and moong dals; that I bought at the Indian store as a pre-mixed package. If you don't have something like this at home, you can mix them up yourself. We usually make this without most of these spices as an accompaniment to a particular fish-in-white-sauce dish, but yesterday, I wanted to try a slow cooker recipe that we could eat plain. The results were surprising. I would have added a little chopped cilantro to the pot, just before serving, but I didn't have any at home, and i recommend you do so.
Masala Khichdi
1 onion, chopped
3 cups khichdi mix, soaked for at least 10 mins
1/2 tsp ginger paste
1/2 tsp garlic paste
1 heaped tsp garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
Salt to taste
3-4 whole dried cardamom
3-4 whole cloves
8-10 peppercorns
2 bay leaves
Place all the ingredients into the slow cooker and stir together well. Cover with water, give it one more stir, and set the slow cooker on high for four hours. Add more salt if needed, sprinkle liberally with chopped cilantro, and serve hot.
