Rice with Moong Dal
One of the oldest Indian dishes and continuously popular these thousands of years is khichri, a dish of rice and split peas. (Starting around the Raj period, the British began to serve a version of khichri in their country homes for breakast: they removed the dal, added fish, and called it kedgeree.) There are two general versions of it: one is dry, like well-cooked rice, where each grain is separate, and the other is wet, like a porridge. Both are delicious. The first is more elegant, the second more soothing. This is the first, the dry version. Serve it like rice, with all manner of curries.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 6
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Combine the rice and dal. Wash gently in several changes of water. Drain. Cover generously with fresh water and leave to soak for 2 hours. Drain well.
Step 2
Pour the oil into a largish, heavy pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the cumin seeds and, a few seconds later, the onions. Stir and fry until the onions have turned reddish brown. Now add the drained rice and dal. Stir very gently for a minute. Add the salt and 2 2/3 cups water. Bring to a boil. Cover tightly, turn heat to very, very low, and cook gently for 25 minutes.
