Annam Parabrahma! Food is God. As mentioned in the Charaka Samhita , one of the revered texts of Ayurveda — “Food when consumed without thought can be poisonous. The same when eaten with discrimination is the nectar of life.” The massive texts of Ayurveda have given us the chance to inculcate within us the discipline of simple living and simple eating, which is the key to good health and longevity.
A popular preparation from ancient times, khichdi is an Ayurvedic dish known as Krishara, which was originally made by boiling rice and split lentils together in water with salt, turmeric and a dash of asafoetida. It increases potency, helps in smooth excretion of body waste and is strengthening during convalescence. It is the perfect example of a simple and wholesome dish which can be made in many innovative ways, the basic requirement being the combination of rice and lentils.
As I’m from Gujarat, I have grown up with khichdi being the main meal at dinner time, at least once a week. With every change of lentil, comes a change in spices, consistency and taste that also affects the side dish that accompanies it. For example, if the lentil used is unhusked, then the tempering — lightly crushed whole peppercorns, asafoetida and turmeric powder tempered with a teaspoon or two of aromatic cow’s ghee — is added to the rice and lentil after they are boiled to a very soft and pasty consistency. The side dish would be kadhi (the Tamil Nadu equivalent would be mor kuzhambu) — a popular gravy made with buttermilk and spices.
If the lentil used is split husked green gram (yellow moong dal), then there is no tempering at all. Spices such as cumin, asafoetida and turmeric are added directly to the uncooked rice and lentils along with salt and a dash of cow’s ghee and pressure-cooked to a very soft and loose consistency, like porridge, accompanied by kadhi, plain yoghurt and pickles. If the lentil used is red gram (toor dal), then the consistency would be like pulav: each grain of rice and lentil, cooked to remain separate and whole, yet soft and fluffy. The side dish would be a simple gravy preparation of diced brinjals, potatoes and dill leaves. Likewise, if one chooses to innovate further using masoor dal, then one could enhance the flavour by adding basil leaves and ginger to a tempering of spices like cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and cumin.
As you can see, there is quite a vast canvas for creativity with the basic khichdi. The simpler it is, the easier to digest. Khichdi at dinner time, once a week, is the first step towards a healthy eating lifestyle.
The writer is the author of cookbook Sukham Ayu.
