 A bowl of dal khichri served withachar | |
| Alternative names | Khichdi, khichadi, khichdee, khichadi, khichuri(Bengali), khisiri(Assamese), khechidi/khechudi (Odia),kisuri (Sylheti),khichari, kitcheree, kitchree |
|---|---|
| Type | Rice |
| Place of origin | India |
| Region or state | Indian Subcontinent |
| Associatedcuisine | India,Bangladesh,Pakistan,Nepal,Trinidad and Tobago,Guyana,Suriname,Fiji,Mauritius |
| Main ingredients | Rice,lentils andspices |
| Ingredients generally used | Cauliflower,potatoes,green peas and othervegetables |
| Variations | Mung dal khichri,bajra-ri-khichri (Rajasthani millet khichri), sadi khichri (lentil and rice khichri) |
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Khichdi orkhichri (Urdu:کھچڑی,romanized: khicṛī,Hindi:खिचड़ी,romanized: khicṛī,pronounced[ˈkʰɪtʃɽiː],Bengali:খিচুড়ি,romanized: Khicuṛi,Odia: ଖେଚୁଡି) is a dish inSouth Asian cuisine made of rice andlentils (dal) with numerous variations. Variations includebajra andmungdalkhichri. InIndian culture, in several regions, especially in the northern areas, it is considered one of the first solid foods that babies eat.[1][2][3]
The wordKhichdī is derived fromSanskritखिच्चाkhiccā,[4][5] a dish of rice and legumes.[6]
Some divergence of transliteration may be noted in the third consonant in the wordkhicṛī. The sound is theretroflex flap[ɽ], which is written inHindi with theDevanagari letter ⟨ड़⟩, and inUrdu script with thePerso-Arabic letter ⟨ڑ⟩. InHindustani phonology, the etymological origin of the retroflex flap was/ɖ/ when it occurred between vowels.[7] Hence in Devanagari the letter ⟨ड⟩, representing/ɖ/, was adapted to write/ɽ/ by adding a diacritic under it. In Urdu script, the phonological quality of the flap was represented by adapting the letter ⟨ر⟩, representing/r/, with a diacritic added above it to indicate the retroflex quality. The occurrence of this consonant in the wordkhicṛī has given rise to two alternative spellings in English:khichri, which reflects its phonology, andkhichdi, which reflects its etymology.
TheGreek kingSeleucus during his campaign in India (305-303 BC), mentioned that rice with pulses is very popular among people of the Indian subcontinent.[3]Strabo also notes that Indian food mainly consisted of rice porridge and a beverage made of rice, presently calledarak.[8] TheMoroccan travelerIbn Battuta mentionskhichdi as a dish in India composed of rice andmung beans, during his stay around 1350.[9]khichdi is described in the writings ofAfanasiy Nikitin, a Russian adventurer who travelled to the Indian subcontinent in the 15th century. It was very popular with theMughals, especiallyJahangir.Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century document written byMughal EmperorAkbar's vizier,Abu'l Fadl, mentions the recipe forkhichdi, which gives seven variations.[10] There is an anecdotal story about khichdi featuring Akbar and his court advisor,Birbal.[11]
TheAnglo-Indian dishkedgeree is thought to derive from khichri.[12][13]
Khichdi is a very popular dish across theIndian subcontinent which consists of,Bangladesh,Pakistan,Nepal andSri Lanka. The dish is also widely prepared in manyIndian states, such asPunjab,Haryana,Rajasthan,Karnataka,Telangana,Madhya Pradesh,Gujarat,Tamil Nadu,Andhra Pradesh,West Bengal,Assam,Bihar,Jharkhand,Uttar Pradesh,Odisha, andMaharashtra.[14] Vegetables such ascauliflower, potato, and greenpeas are commonly added.[citation needed]
Hindus, mainly from north/northwest, who avoid eating grains during fasting, eatSabudana khichri made fromsago.[15][16] In the southern part of India, however, the wordkhichri is not that popular. While people of Tamil Nadu and Andhra regions cookPongal, and Kannadigas prepareHuggi which ismung dal khichdi andBisi bele bhath, a pigeon pea variation with vegetables, Keralites have no similar dish.[citation needed]
Khichdi was the inspiration forAnglo-Indiankedgeree[12][17]Khichdi is a popular traditional staple in Haryana, specially in the rural areas.Haryanvi khichdi is made from pearl millet and mungdal (split mung bean) pounded in mortar (unkhal), and often eaten by mixing with warmghee orlassi, or even yogurt.[18][19][20][21] Sometimes,jowar is also mixed withbajra andmung dal.[21]
TheHyderabadi Muslim community, of the erstwhileHyderabad State, in present-dayTelangana,Marathwada, andKalyana-Karnataka regions, makekhichdi as a common breakfast dish, and is an important part ofHyderabadi cuisine.[22] The dish is calledkhichri,kheema,khatta, or other switch-around versions of the previous, named after the three parts of the meal,Khichri, ground beef, and a sour sauce, made of tamarind and sesame.[23]
Khichra is similar tohaleem, a meat dish, whilekhichra is a vegetarian dish with rice and pulses or lentils, with no spices.[24]
In 2017, Indian media unofficially designated it as the "national dish", as it is being globally promoted by thegovernment of India as "queen of all foods". The report that the government may designatekhichri as India's "national dish" brought significant ridicule from the opposition politicians.[25]
However, India'sMinister of Food Processing IndustriesHarsimrat Kaur Badal clarified that whileKhichdi is considered nutritious and healthy food in India, the government did not have any plans to designate a national food.[26][27][28]
Khichdi has lent its name to media synonymous with ensembles or potpourri as depicted in the popular culture through movies such asKhichdi: The Movie, and TV sitcoms such asKhichdi andInstant Khichdi.
The dish has been cooked at both MasterChef Australia[29] and America.[1]
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