Gujarati Vaghareli Khichdi is a healthy, easy one-pot meal, and comfort food. This Khichdi recipe always fits the bill when I am looking to cook a tasty, healthy, light on the stomach, quick to make dinner or Lunch.
The best thing about Khichdi is It’s perfect Bachelor recipe for a nutritious and easy to cook a meal. Also, this is a No onion no Garlic Khichdi recipe.
Vaghareli khichdi means seasoned or tempered khichdi. The aromatic tadka or tempering of ginger, red chilies, and ghee gives this Vaghareli khichdi an amazing flavor. This dal khichdi has a beautiful aroma and a smoky taste.
The name for this dish “Vaghareli” comes from the word “Vaghar” which in Gujarati is used for the word “tempering”. In other parts of Indian tempering is known as baghar or tadka. So the same recipe is also known as Baghari khichdi or tadka khichdi or masala khichdi with few ingredients here and there.
If you thought khichdi is a boring meal, you will be surprised to know that there are so many variations of khichdi recipes that it never gets dull or boring. And all of them taste absolutely delicious!
Honestly, for me, Khichdi has been always one of the best recipes for beginner cooks and bachelors who are looking to cook easy, one-pot dishes. Mainly because the recipe has minimal steps and you can cook it with basic ingredients.
Ingredients for Vaghareli Khichdi
I have made a super simple Dal khichdi recipe with pantry staples. To make it rich in proteins I added soya bean chunks. If you like, you can add your favorite vegetables and make it even more wholesome.
You will need the following ingredients to make Khichdi.
Dal/Lentils : I have used mixed dals. Split Urad dal (Kali dal) and Arhar or Tuvar dal. Broken Urad is not a traditional choice for making khichdi but try it once and you will know it tastes incredibly delicious and adds a nice texture in the khichdi.
Rice: Broken Basmati rice or any short-grain rice is perfect for making khichdi.
Soya Chunks: It is not a traditional ingredient, but being a great source of proteins for vegetarians makes this a protein-rich vegetarian meal.
Ghee: Khichdi tastes best when tempered in ghee. However, as per your preference, you can use any vegetable oil of your choice.
Spices: Regular Indian spices like Turmeric, red chili powder, salt, garam masala, asafoetida/hing, cumin
Fresh Aromatics: ginger and green chili
Traditional Gujarati Vaghareli khichdi
Vaghareli khichdi is cooked with either moong dal or tuvar dal and rice and tempered with aromatic vaghar or tadka. Which usually has regular tempering ingredients like cumin, ginger, asafoetida, and ghee.
Some people add onion, tomato take but usually, Khichdi is considered one of the easiest meals to prepare. It is preferred with simple cumin, asafoetida, garam masala vaghar.
Step By Step Vaghareli Khichdi Recipe
In a bowl mix split urad dal/kali dal and tuvar dal. Wash them 3-4 times in plenty of water till it runs clear.
Similarly, wash rice for 3-4 times until the water runs clear.
In a small bowl add soya chunks in hot water and soak it for 5 minutes. To cook khichdi, In a pressure cooker add soaked Split Urad dal, Tuvar dal, and rice. Add 4 cups of water.
Add soaked soya chunks in the cooker.
Next add in turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala powder, and salt to taste and oil.
Close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook khichdi for 2 whistles. After that turn off the heat and release the pressure from the cooker. Open the lid of the cooker.
In a pan add ghee and heat it. Then add a pinch of asafoetida/hing and cumin seeds.
When the cumin starts to crackle add a teaspoon of julienned ginger.
Add chopped green chilies and stir it once.
Now switch off the heat and add 2-3 broken red chilies and half a teaspoon of red chili powder.
Save ¼ of this mix for garnishing the khichdi.
Immediately pour the rest of the baghar/temper over the khichdi and mix it nicely.
Watch Video
Watch this video for correct step by step method of making khichdi. I always recommend Watching before cooking especially when you are a beginner cook.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- You can make many variations for this recipe of Vaghareli khichdi. Change lentils used, add vegetables, use brown rice, add onion tomato masala as per your choice.
- I have made Urad/kali dal khichdi, you can use moong, toor, chana dal or a mix of dals.
- To Make Vegan khichdi, replace ghee with any vegetable oil or coconut oil.
- You can add vegetables of your choice to make it healthier. Carrots, peas, potatoes are great choices of vegetables to add in khichdi.
- Adding Cooking oil while pressure cooking lentils helps to prevent the spilling of water from the pressure cooker while cooking.
- When making vaghar or tadka switch off the heat first before adding red chilli powder as it burns quickly. And immediately pour it over khichdi.
How To Serve Vaghareli Khichdi
Khichdi always served as a hot meal. You can serve it with ghee, curd, papad, and pickle on the side.
You can also serve it with Gujrati Kadhi and papad.
Other Khichdi Recipes You May Like To Try
If you like to try other Khichdi variations you can try these easy recipes.
Vaghareli Khichdi Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Split Urad dal
- ¼ cup Toor Dal
- ½ cup Rice
- ½ cup Soya chunks
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon Red chili Powder
- 1.5 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
- 4 cup Water
For Vaghar/ Temper
- 2 tablespoon Ghee
- ¼ teaspoon Hing/asafoetida
- 1 teaspoon Cumin
- 1 Green chilies
- 2-3 Whole Red Chili
- 1 inch Ginger (Cut into juliennes)
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
Instructions
- To make Vaghareli Khichdi, start with soaking and cleaning dal, and rice.
- In a bowl add ¼ cup split urad dal and ¼ cup archer dal. Mix the dal using your fingers and pour water in the bowl. Now, wash the dal 3-4 times until the water runs clear.
- In a separate bowl add ½cup basmati rice. Wash the rice too for 3-4 times until the water runs out clear.
- For some protein in the khichdi, add soybeans in a bowl and pour hot water in it. Soak the soya chunks in hot water for 5 minutes.
- Now in a pressure cooker add the soaked dals and rice from the bowl.
- After that add 4 cups of water in the pressure cooker. Then add soaked soya chunks in the cooker.
- When you have added the soybeans, add ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon of red chili powder, and ½ teaspoon of garam masala powder in the cooker.
- Then add salt to taste.
- To prevent the spilling of water from the cooker, add a teaspoon of cooking oil in the cooker.
- Close the pressure cooker and pressure cook the khichdi for 2 whistles. After this release, the pressure from the cooker and open the lid of the cooker. Allow the khichdi to simmer for a few minutes while stirring in between. Keep it aside.
- Now To make tadka/baghar heat 2 tablespoons of ghee in a tadka pan. (Vegans can use 2 tablespoons of cooking oil here)
- To that add a pinch of asafoetida and a teaspoon of cumin seeds. When the seeds start to crackle add a teaspoon of ginger juliennes (cut the ginger in long thin strips)
- Now add chopped green chili. Stir them once and then add 2-3 broken red chilies,
- And half a teaspoon of red chili powder in the tadka pan.
- Save about ¼ of baghar and pour rest over khichadi and mix it nicely.
- At the time of serving this baghari khichdi pour rest of the Baghar and enjoy it with a side of papad pickle and dahi.
Video
Notes
Recipe Notes and Tips
- You can make many variations for this recipe of Vaghareli khichdi. Change lentils used, add vegetables, use brown rice, add onion tomato masala as per your choice.
- I have made Urad/kali dal khichdi, you can use moong, toor, chana dal or a mix of dals.
- To Make Vegan khichdi, replace ghee with any vegetable oil or coconut oil.
- You can add vegetables of your choice to make it healthier. Carrots, peas, potatoes are great choices of vegetables to add in khichdi.
- Adding Cooking oil while pressure cooking lentils helps to prevent the spilling of water from the pressure cooker while cooking.
- When making vaghar or tadka switch off the heat first before adding red chili powder as it burns quickly. And immediately pour it over khichdi.