Ingredients needed 🧾
How to make it 🔪
Recipe 📖
Everyone is on the lookout for a simple home-cooked meal that requires less chopping, has easy-to-follow steps, and is not too elaborate, especially on a weeknight.
The craze for pressure cooking is here to stay and it surely has its reasons! Ever since I got mine, I seem to be using it nearly every day!
I have an entire category dedicated to Instant Pot meals because they are so popular and you as a reader always want more Instant Pot recipes.
It doesn’t matter whether you call it Dal Khichdi, Khichadi, Kitchari, or Khichuri, what matters is that this savory porridge-like recipe is nutritious and delicious.
There are many variations to the dal khichdi recipe and masala khichdi is one of them. Also, every home has its own way of making it.
Masala khichdi is like a complete meal. It’s got rice, lentils, and veggies all in one dish. This vegetable khichdi recipe checks all the right boxes.
Some like it thicker, some soupier, some with veggies, some like it without, some like to make it very mild while some like to make it masaledar (ME!)!
I also feel the kind of tempering or tadka that’s added to the khichadi makes all the difference to the final flavors of this dish.
The tempering can be as basic as just asafoetida and cumin seeds to something fancier like this masala khichdi.
Adding veggies to the khichuri makes it even more nourishing. I like to add whatever veggies I have at hand.
In South Indian cuisine, Ven Pongal comes the closest to Khichdi. Mom learned to make the west(Indian) version after moving to Bombay.
I still remember that she would usually make khichdi towards the end of the week. She would use whatever leftover veggies she had. It was her way of cleaning the fridge.
Even today when someone at home falls sick or we get back home from a trip, we only crave something light like khichdi, rasam rice, or curd rice. It’s like detox food for us.
Even the kid’s first meal in many homes is the basic and bland version of this khichdi i.e. without any spices.
Add this vegan Instant Pot khichdi to your weekly menu rotation. It’s a keeper!
Its vegan and can also be made gluten-free by skipping asafoetida The recipe can easily be doubled or halved It’s easy to digest The recipe is easily customizable Great way to sneak in veggies It’s healthy and wholesome Can be made using basic pantry supplies Perfect weeknight meal
Rice - Basmati rice tastes very good in khichdi. However, you can also use Sona Masoori, Surti Kolam, or any other short-grain rice. Don’t use Jasmine rice. Lentils - The type of lentils to use is a personal choice. You can either add one variety or mix a couple of lentils and add. I have used only tur dal in this recipe. Veggies - I like to make my khichdi even more nutritious by adding veggies like beetroot, and carrot in it. Feel free to add more veggies. Whole Spices - I have used mustard seeds, cumin seeds, bay leaf, cloves, and curry leaves in this recipe. They give it a nice aromatic flavor. Ground spices - asafoetida, turmeric, cumin powder, coriander powder, chilly powder, garam masala, and Kashmiri red chilly powder are the basic spices that you will need. Other ingredients - ginger, garlic, and green chillies give this vegetable dal khichdi recipe a nice earthy flavor. These are the ingredients that are needed for the tadka. Fried onions - this is the surprise element in my vegetable khichdi recipe. I accidentally discovered how it completely elevated the flavors of this dish. Don’t skip this. Green peas - Instead of cooking them along with the veggies, adding them to the tadka gives the khichdi a nice flavor. I have used frozen peas in this recipe. Other ingredients - dried red chillies, cilantro, Kashmiri red chilly powder (not shown in the pic above) and lemon juice give it that extra zing. Khichdi is incomplete without a drizzle of ghee on top. To make it vegan, I use vegan ghee. Pressure Cooker - I use the Instant Pot Duo Plus 6 Quart for all my Instant Pot recipes. Some even like to squeeze some lemon juice on top. To keep it light, you can also serve it with Chaas and cucumber salad or tomato salad. Masala Khichdi is ideal for weekdays, or when you come home to an empty fridge! A hot bowl of khichdi on a cold boring day is the perfect way to unwind. Make this also when you or someone in the family is unwell. It is very comforting and helps you heal. It’s also a great detox because it’s light and easy to digest. The second tadka adds a lot of flavor to this Instant Pot vegetable khichdi recipe. But you can also consume it without that tadka. Feel free to add more veggies/greens of your choice. You can even skip adding them. You can either add one variety or mix a couple of lentils/dal in this khichdi recipe. If you are following a gluten-free diet, skip adding asafoetida. Instead of vegan ghee, you can also use any vegetable or coconut oil. Vegan butter will also taste good. If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can use a pressure cooker to prepare the khichdi. Cook the rice and lentils together. Then prepare and pour the tempering over it. Like this recipe? Please show your love by leaving a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest to see more delicious vegetarian and vegan recipes and what I’m getting up to.
