You just cant go wrong with relatively simple comfort food. The most comforting foods are the most hearties and the most easiest. The very first time we went to the Rangoli Restaurant at T.Nagar was something I could never forget. I got to sample comforting, wholesome gujrathi and rajasthani rustic cuisine here and I was completely smitten. I remember starting the course with the huge thali plate with a multitude of minuscule steel cups. They had around 2 dry vegetables, 2 gravies and one daal, curd, pickle, shrikhand, dessert and sample starters. They also serve unlimited hot and super soft rotis with refills of the accompaniments too. Then they served hot khichdi with a dollop of desi ghee. It was almost redolent with the aroma of freshly melted ghee on a bed of hot mushy khichdi which almost reminded me of the “paruppu sadam” we eat as kids. Now I was hooked!  It was the simplest of all the dishes that were served but I could never really recreate it at home for quite some time. I guess it was the basmati rice thats cooked to a mushy consistency and I figured it out completely by accident. It`s really my goto dish on days that are crazy, rainy and otherwise dull.

Pic Courtesy:Google.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup Basmati Rice.

1/4 Cup heaped Moong Dal.

Handful of Toor Dhal.

5-6 Cups Water.

1 Tsp Ghee to add to rice.

Salt to taste.

Seasoning:

2 Tbsp Ghee.

2 Tsp Jeera.

1 Cinnamon Stick.

10 Curry Leaves torn.

PREPARATION:

•  Wash the rice and dal until its clean and add the 6 cups water.
• Transfer to a pressure cooker vessel and add a Tsp of ghee.
• Pressure cook as you would for regular rice/dal. I normally wait for one whistle and then bring down the flame to sim and THEN cook for ten minutes. Switch off.
• When ready to release pressure, open the lid and with a masher, mash the rice well until mushy.
• Season with the ingredients specified and pour over the khichdi.
• Serve piping HOT with pickle or Paneer Butter Masala. 
• This khichdi is cooked with moong daal which rapidly thickens with time. Always better to open the cooker and season and immediately serve when ready.