Khichda - A bowl of comfort offered after the battle, famine and the storm.

 

Khichda (کھچڑا: Urdu) - is a variation of the dish Haleem, popular among Muslims of the Indian subcontinent. It is made up of meat, lentils and spices cooked together to a porridge like consistency. It is known to be a meat variant of Khichdi and near relative of Haleem. While I am writing this, my brain is racing and pounding with facts, history, remembrance and reminiscence. How do I connect the dots? 

Khichda, literal meaning would be ‘atotal mess’. Beautiful mess to be more precise. Native Urdu speakers might agree almost instantly while Non- Urdu speakers might scratch their head. Anything that’s messed up, we called it ‘Khichda’. Imagine someone’s cooking Biryani for the very first time and it turns out all sloppy. The response is - Iska toh Khichda bana diya. :D

While Biryani is something that is easily available and known to people, khichda on the other hand is a treasure trove. Typically, it is cooked on the 10th day of Muharram(Ashura). The origin is traced back to the time when Bi Bi Zainab, granddaughter of Prophet Mohammed, following the battle of Karbala when people would visit her to offer condolences, she would add grains and meat to huge pits where everything would be cooked together into a meal. Another story of origin takes birth in Lucknow as a famine relief measure while building the old Imambara of Lucknow announcing that anyone who participated would be give free food. This food consisted of rice, mutton and pulses slowly cooked. The dish continued to be popular till today. 

The difference between Haleem and Khichda lies in the usage of rice for Khichda and wheat for Haleem. The chunks of meat can be felt in Khichda whereas is Haleem the meat is pounded completely. My memory lane takes me back to my nani cooking Biryani for everyone except for my nanu who lived to a ripe old age. His struggle with chewing food would be eased with Khichda. I disliked the dish so much that I never got opportunity to taste it until few years back. The bowl standing tall in the picture which I have purposely highlighted is my Nani’s (Ammijaan) Ceramic bowl.

Recipe 

Ingredients:

For Birista

3 medium sized sliced onions

3 cups of oil

For Khichda 

1/4th portion of the sliced onions

3tsp Oil

Few cloves

3/4 cardamom pods

1 Bay leaf

2 sticks of 1inch Cinnamon

3 heaped tsp Ginger-garlic paste

3tsp Red chilli powder

2tsp Green chilli paste

1/2tsp turmeric

1tsp Garam masala powder

1/2kg Boneless meat ( Beef/Lamb)

4cups of water( or the amount required to cook the meat)

1/4 cup Masoor dal

1/4 cup Toor dal

1/4 cup Chana dal

1/4 cup Moong dal

1/2 cup Rice

Few chopped coriander 

1/cup milk

Juice of 1/2 lemon

For garnish

Birista

Chopped mint leaves

For tempering 

3tsp Ghee

Few green chillies cut half lengthwise and halved

Julienned ginger 

Method:

For Birista - Fry 3/4th of the sliced onions till golden. 

For Khichda - In a pressure-cooker add 3tsp oil, followed by 1/4th onions. Sauté till they turn translucent. Add the spices, followed by ginger garlic paste and green chilli paste. Sauté till the raw smells disappears. Add in spice powders, make sure mot to burn them. Add meat and sear the meat well. Add water and simmer the flame. Meanwhile wash all the lentils and rice. Add into the pressure cooker. Add 1/2cup birista. If you wish you can soak the lentils for 15mins. Cook till the meat is tender. While its getting cooked prepare for the garnish. 

Chop some mint sprigs by stacking on top of each other, rolling into a cigar and chopping. Julienne some ginger and keep it aside. 

Return to the pressure cooker. If the mixture is completely mashed no need to mash it further. Mix well till it attains porridge like consistency. Now add milk, chopped coriander and lemon juice. Mix it well. Spoon it into a serving bowl. Garnish with birista and mint leaves.

For tempering : 

Add 3tsp ghee in a tadka pan. Heat till smoking hot. Add in ginger and green chillies. Fry for a minute. Pour the tempering on the Khichda. Serve with a slice of lemon.