Khichadi A One - Pot Meal That Heals

“Keep your diet simple and subtle” is my objective while planning every diet. This is why, I am gleaming with joy on the news of ‘humble khichdi’ finally trending the media.

It won’t be a surprise to find this lentil and grain hot meal as a regular fancy on most dietitians prescription pads, as now being anointed ‘India’s Super Food’.

I have always believed in the power of this ‘desi’ meal. It is quick to cook. It is a one-pot complete meal providing low carbohydrates, pulse protein, vegetable vitamins and fat from desi ghee. Generally, eaten with curd or ‘kadhee’, the calcium value also increases in this one meal. It is ‘slurp-y’ to eat and hence increases hydration level of your body. Rather than having a papad or pickle, I suggest eating it with a crunchy cucumber salad and a green mint coriander chutney or vegetable raita.

Khichdi may have been easily disregarded as weaning food or sick man’s diet. I would like to convince you that when eaten as a part of planned diets, khichdi offers wonderful results. You can lose weight, treat irritable bowel syndrome, reduce bloating as well as increase nutrition intake by eating a simple khichdi meal.

It can be prepared in so many unique variations.

Replace white rice with brown rice and you can enjoy BROWN RICE KHICHDI with CHANNA DAL.

A quick meal tiffin option is Broken Wheat or DALIA KHICHDI with GREEN PEAS. For young mothers who are always on the run and need steady dose of energy without bingeing, BAJRA KHICHDI works amazingly. Children can be packed a healthy lunch box of SEMOLINA/SUJI KHICHDI with vegetables and fruit yogurt in school tiffin boxes. Contemporary style khichdi is white rice and yellow moongh dal but I have stylized this recipe with Quinoa or Ragi and even Oats cooked along with multitude of pulses as option and my clients adore it.

If you are trying to lose weight reduce the quantity of cereals and increase the portions of pulses and vegetables. This is where my role as a diet expert comes in. I suggest the appropriate combination and portion control for you.