FOOD SPECIAL..... The many versions of India's comfort food

The many versions of India's comfort food





Whether you like your khichadi with meat or subtly flavoured, every region has its own take

There isn't a preferred time to have khichadi, India's soul food. Consumed when unwell, or nursing an upset stomach or just in need of comfort food, every region has its own version of the humble khichadi. The basic version is usually made with white rice, yellow, green or split moong lentils and topped with some ghee. The history of the khichadi possibly dates back to ancient India and the recipe favoured by the Mughal emperor Akbar, noted in the Ain-i-Akbari, calls for equal amounts of rice, dal and ghee in the dish. “An interesting spin-off of the khichadi is the kedgeree -a colonial dish that transformed into a British recipe with the addition of fish and boiled eggs,“ says food writer Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal.

SOUL FOOD MANGSHER KHICHUDI

Khichadi, for Bengalis, is an extravagant affair. “It is one of the most elaborate dishes. Be it the spicy bhog'er khichudi served during festivals, the pulao-like bhuni khichudi (which sometimes includes meat), or the homemade version with dollops of ghee,“ says home chef Ananya Banerjee. Typically, Bengali khichadis are served with vegetable fritters, or labra (a mixed vegetable dish) and deep fried fish or omelette. “Mangshor khichudi is perfect for meat lovers who also love khichadi. I've also seen my grandmother make a tasty prawn khichudi.“

SOUL FOOD CHURRI KHICHADI

Sindhis make two versions of khichadi -one as a porridge and a lighter version for dinner. “A perfect churri khichadi should have all its grains separated. So, boil it, add ghee and keep it on dum,“ explains food blogger Pushpa Moorjani. Churri khichadi is normally served with papad, curd and fried potatoes.

SOUL FOOD GARHWALI UDAD DAL KHICHDI

An earthy recipe that is a little different from usual khichadis, this recipe calls for the udad dal to be cooked separately from rice and then combined. “This is to account for the fact that udad takes far longer to cook.Udad and sesame are much loved in Garhwali cuisine and this is a dish often cooked in winter as it is very warming and even ideal for a cold rainy day,“ says Rushina Munshaw-Ghildiyal.

SODYACHI KHICHADI

A speciality of Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu's, a community that journeyed from north India via Madhya Pradesh to coastal Maharashtra, this dish was a favourite of the royal family of Gaekwads. “The recipe is an adapted version from a book titled Sugraas Bhojan, first published in 1948,“ says home chef Soumitra Velkar, adding that a lot of recipes from the community require sode or dried prawns. “Dried prawns are cured in salt, so add salt carefully.“

Sayoni Sinha

MM 23JUL17