Kichadi is an East Indian dish that features rice and either mung beans or lentils, and a variety of spices and vegetables. Everything is slowly cooked into a soft stew. Considered an Indian comfort food, kichadi is easy to prepare, can be made all in one pan or pot, and makes great leftovers.
Ingredients
water for sautéing
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ teaspoon minced fresh ginger
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander powder
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground clove
¼-½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional, these are hot)
3 ½ cups water
¾ cup dry brown basmati rice
¾ cup dry yellow lentils (which look orange when dry then turn yellow when cooked)
1 medium potato, diced (yellow, red or sweet)
1 cup frozen peas
2 ribs celery, diced
1 bunch curly kale, steamed
Directions
1. Sauté the onion in 2 tablespoons water for 2-3 minutes on med-high heat. Add the fresh garlic and ginger, cumin seeds, and all the dried herbs and spices and sauté for another minute (adding a little water as needed). Add the 3 ½ cups water along with the rice, lentils and potato. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook for 30 minutes.
2. After the 30 minutes, blend in the peas and celery. Replace lid and cook for 20 more minutes.
3. Serve on steamed curly kale leaves (or cut the steamed kale into bite-size pieces and fold it in just before serving, or add in the raw kale with the peas and celery). Optional: Using a rotary cheese grater, grate some peanuts or walnuts on top (as shown).
Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Serves: 6
NOTES
If you don’t want to bother with all the spices (keep the fresh ginger and garlic, though), you may replace them with 2 or more teaspoons of your favorite curry powder. I made this both ways, and while the curry powder is good too, using all the spices individually, as written, produces a much more interesting and flavorful dish.
This is a very flexible recipe, so feel free to vary the veggies, potatoes (Yukon, red or sweet potato/yam), rice (brown jasmine, long or short grain), or lentils (you can also use soaked split peas or mung beans).
I like your variations and ideas here… the kale and the celery, for example. I’ve been making kichadi for a long time and I love it. It’s almost impossible to mess up and great for lazy evenings. I have to admit I slip some oil in at the beginning to lightly fry and prep the spices.
This is my new favorite dish. Thank you so much for the recipe.
I love how thick and rich it is. It can be eaten as is, in a pita for lunch, on top of a salad, over rice, whatever – it is so versatile. And the flavors are incredible.
Yay! Thanks Victoria!
Could this be made in the slow cooker? If so, directions please.
Hi Tammy, I’m thinking yes, but I’ve never done it. Give it a try and let me know how it goes. I’d just put it all in at once and let it cook. Maybe hold out the kale though, as it may be totally overcooked. And I’m not sure how rice cooks up in a slow cooker, but google it and see if anyone’s done it and how.
I made the Kichadi in the slow cooker today and it was awesome. I had some cooked brown rice in the freezer so I added that with all of the other ingredients except the peas and kale and set the slow cooker on high while I went to work. When I came home, I added the peas and some cilantro instead of kale and served it with some naan. Next time I will cook on low and add the rice at the end too. What a nice comforting meal to come home to, thanks for the recipe.
This is fabulous! The combination of seasonings create an intoxicating aroma. I can’t remember the last time the kitchen smelled this good. What a perfect, hearty, warming, fragrant dish for a dark and rainy day.
I was not terribly impressed with this recipe. I will try it again and tinker with the spices more. I did not have ground cloves on hand, but other than that I made the recipe exactly as directed. I ended up adding additional curry powder in my left overs, and it needed more than the 1/4 tsp chili flakes. I couldn’t taste any fire in this at all. Anyone have suggestions for how to spice this up a bit more?
Hi Nicole, I tend toward the less spicy in my cooking and tastes, but feel free to add type and amount that suits you. I would look at some Indian recipes and see what spices they use and what amounts and experiement.