Bhatia Bajri Khichdi (Pearl-Millet)

About this recipe

Whole-grain bajra khichdi is deep-winter food — pearl millet and moong cooked down dense and warming, the kind of bowl meant to keep a body going through cold and work. Bajra is harder to cook than rice and requires a good overnight soak or a six-hour soak at minimum, otherwise the grains simply will not soften. It's earthier than rice khichdi and traditionally eaten with a flood of ghee, a dollop of curd and a piece of jaggery on the side — the trifecta that makes it complete. The whole grain of bajra takes longer to cook than refined grains, which is why the soak is non-negotiable. After soaking for six hours, the millet is drained and cooked together with moong dal in a pressure cooker with turmeric and water in a ratio of four cups water to one cup each of grain and dal. Six whistles of pressure usually softens both ingredients enough. The cooked khichdi is mashed gently, not aggressively — you want to break the grains slightly and meld them, not turn it into porridge. The tarka is simple: oil or ghee is heated with cumin, asafoetida and green chillies, then poured over the cooked khichdi. Ginger paste is optional but welcome. The khichdi is stirred gently to distribute the tarka, then seasoned with salt and coriander. The texture should be slightly loose, not stiff, so it's easy to eat and digest. Serve bajri khichdi in a shallow bowl with a small piece of ghee, a dollop of curd and a piece of jaggery on the side. The tradition is to mix them all together, the ghee and curd tempering the earthy millet, the jaggery adding sweetness. It's the ultimate comfort food for a cold day.