Vaishnav cuisine - Rice hot pot - Khichri bhog
Vrindavan rice hot-pot: Khichdi
Radha Damodar temple at Vrindavan offers khichdi-prasad to visitors everyday. The Lord is said to have enjoyed khichdi cooked by Karmabai. I love to cook sweet khichdi for Krishna's bhog. I'll just let you know how to prepare it the way I do. The one most important ingredient is the spirit of service that goes in its preparation. Cooking for Krishna, and eating his prasad is my way of connecting with him.
Cooking for Krishna, and eating his prasad is my way of connecting with him.
Ingredients for Khichdi bhog
- 3/4 cup rice (Basmati can be rich)
- 1/2 cup 70:30 mix of Arhar and Moong lentils
- Some cabbage and cauliflower
- 2 potatoes
- 1 large sized tomato
- 2 carrots
- 1/4 cup green peas
- 3 tsp sugar
- Some almonds, cashews and raisins
- 1 tsp each, garam-masala and vegetable-masala
- 2 tsp each, turmeric and salt
- Elaichi, coriander powder, cinnamon and pepper as per taste
- 1 tbs refined oil or, pure ghee
Preparatin of Khichdi bhog
Soak the rice and lentil mix for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, chop the vegetables into small pieces and mix it with the ingredients listed in 10, 11 and 12. Heat the refined oil or ghee in a 2 litre pressure cooker. Add chopped vegetables when ghee is hot, and mix well.
Add the ingredients listed in 9 and continue stirring until the vegetables gain a reddish tinge. Add sugar and then the soaked rice-lentil combo while stirring briskly. Finally, add water to fill the cooker until half it is half full. Replace the lid of the cooker and allow to cook until the third whistle.
Add a topping of pure ghee and serve this warm khichdi to Krishna. Enjoy the khichdi prasad... It is highly nutritious and delicious.
Ayurvedic prescription
A one-pot dish, khichdi soothes vata dosha. The cereals pacify vata, though the potatoes and tomatoes are not exactly vata friendly, but they lose their edge in a one-pot dish cooked with cereals, spices such as coriander, cumin and turmeric. Ginger improves digestive agni, pitta. Ghee, again is a vata pacifier, but Kapha types should go easy with the ghee and sugar.
