Masoor dal khichdi recipe | Masoor dal khichdi Bengali | Masoor daler khichuri

Masoor dal khichdi recipe aka masoor daler khichuri is a pure Bengali delicacy. It can be considered as one of the most comforting and nourishing meals which is crazily popular among Bengalis around the world, no matter where they belong. It is runny and mushy in texture exactly like porridge. So, it is also known as patla musur daler khichuri. In this preparation, gobindobhog chaal (Small grain rice) and masoor dal (Red lentils) are cooked together with choice of your veggies, onion, ginger-garlic and some specific spices. Honestly, Masoor dal khichdi Bengali does not require any side to eat but still bongs love to pair it up with Begun bhaja, mach bhaja, papad bhaja or with dimer omelette.

About the recipe
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How to make Masoor dal khichdi (step wise photos)
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Masoor dal khichdi Bengali is a signature dish during rainy and gloomy monsoon days or on the chilly days during winter season. A bowl of warm golden khichuri has been enough to provide warmth, comfort and immense pleasure since ages to our lives which we got from our old ancestors.

Khichuri recipe is always more than a dish for any Bengali. There are so many emotions, sentiments and affections that are bonded with the recipe which makes it extraordinary. In fact, in puja khichuri is prepared by Brahmins and offered to god because it is considered as god’s comforting food. Then it is distributed among people as prasad. But the khichuri recipe for prasad is prepared with moong dal without using onion-garlic which is considered as pure veg.

On the other hand, musur daler khichuri is considered as non-veg among Bengalis because it is prepared with onion, garlic and of course with masoor dal. In Bengali culinary, masoor dal, onion, garlic are considered as non-veg. So these items are prohibited during puja days. It is always prepared as a comforting meal in every Bengali house.

As a bong, I have grown up eating different varieties of khichuri recipe like bhoger khichuri, bhuna khichuri, masoor daler khichuri, mangsho diye khichuri etc. and every time it totally engages me with its irresistible taste, unbeatable flavour and amazing texture. I have thousands of good memories with the traditional Bengali food and whenever I talk about it, I can go on and on.

I always feel nostalgic when I talk about masoor dal khichdi recipe aka masoor daler khichuri. Since my childhood, I am having this divine multiple time in every year with lot of ease, excitement and joy. I still remember how I used to demand my mother to prepare patla musur daler khichuri with ilish mach bhaja during kalbaisakhi. I have learnt this recipe from my mother, and she learnt it from her mother.

Masoor dal khichdi recipe can be prepared in myriad ways. Every house has their own composition and preferences in preparing any khichuri recipe. Many people prefer to add vegetables into the khichdi, but many prefers to skip it. They only add fresh and tender green peas during winter season. Many prefers to prepare khichuri recipe with mustard oil and many in ghee. There is no hard and fast rule to bengali khichuri recipe. You can mould the recipe accordingly to get the eternal comfort.

Masoor dal khichdi recipe aka masoor dal khichdi Bengali is a quick and super easy Bengali meal recipe which is loved by the people of all age groups. It requires all the basic ingredients which are readily available in any Bengali kitchen pantry. The best part of the recipe is that it can be prepared in large quantities without investing any extra effort or time. In short, this recipe is a complete life saviour for every homemaker who sometimes struggle with time to prepare meal.

Masoor dal khichdi recipe with step by step photos and instructions have been provided in the ‘Instructions’ section of the recipe. I have included all the tips and tricks to prepare perfect the Bengali khichuri. But before directly jumping into the recipe, let me share few interesting facts about the Bengali veg recipe.

• Always use Gobindobhog rice (an aromatic small grain rice) for the recipe. Don’t replace it with Basmati rice.
• Always take the rice and lentil in 1:1 proportion. I mean for 1 cup of rice, take 1 cup of lentil for the best taste.
• Always use hot water to cook the bengali khichuri recipe.
• Don’t skip ghee, garam masala at the end. These ingredients give incredible flavour to the musur daler khichuri.

Gobindo Bhog Chaal (Rice) is very famous in West Bengal. In Bengal, this rice is specially used in preparing Kheer, Pulao and Khichdi. It is very tiny grained aromatic white Rice. It is mostly cultivated in few districts of West Bengal.

To prepare the masoor dal khichdi, first wash the gobindobhog rice (Small grain rice) multiple times until the water gets clear and strain the water completely. Keep it aside.

Then wash the masoor dal (Red lentils) multiple times until the water gets clear and soak it in water for half an hour. Drain the water and keep the lentils aside. Cut and peel the vegetables and wash them before use.

Now put a pan on flame and add mustard oil into it. Once the oil is hot, add potatoes and fry them till golden and crisp from outside. Keep them aside.

Then add carrots and peas into the pan and fry them for 4-5 minutes over medium flame and keep them aside.

In the same pan, add some more oil if required and add the whole spices dry red chillies, cumin seeds, bay leaf for tempering. Once they crackle, add chopped onions into the pan and fry them till translucent. Add chopped ginger and garlic and cook them until the raw smell disappears.

Add tomato pieces and onion chunks together and mix it well. Add salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder and mix them nicely. Cook them on low flame until the tomatoes get mushy.

Add cumin powder, coriander powder and mix them nicely. Cook them over medium flame for 1-2 minutes. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water to cook the masala if required.

Add gobindobhog rice and soaked lentil (Masoor dal) into the pan and fry them together for 3-4 minutes over medium flame.

Add 3 cups hot water, salt into the pan and give a stir. Cover the pan and cook it over high flame for 5 minutes until the water gets soaked.

Add 2 more cups of hot water and all the fried vegetables, green chillies, sugar and give a stir. Cover the pan and cook it over low flame for 10 minutes.

Then again add 2 more cups of hot water and stir it nicely. Cover the pan and cook it over low flame for 10 minutes. Check whether the lentils and rice are properly cooked or not.

If not, then add 1 cup hot water and give a nice stir. Cover the pan and cook it for another 5 minutes.

At the final stage of cooking, add garam masala powder, ghee and mix them nicely. The consistency of the khichuri during the time of switching off the flame should be runny because it would get thicker after some time. Then switch off the flame.

Many bengali veg recipes have already shared in my previous posts. You can check few of them like

Bhoger khichuri
Bhuna khichuri
Basanti pulao
Chanar dalna

..And Many more…

1 cup = 250 ml

• ¾ cup Gobindobhog chal (Small grain rice)
• ¾ cup Masoor dal (Red lentils)
• 3 medium Potatoes, cut into half
• 1 large Carrot, cut lengthwise 2 inches
• 1/3 cup Peas, fresh or frozen
• 1 Tomato, deseeded and diced
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 1 small Onion, cut into 4 pieces
• 1 tablespoon Garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon Ginger, finely chopped
• 3-4 green Chillies
• 1 Bay leaf (Tejpatta)
• 2 dry red Chillies
• 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
• ¾ teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon red Chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon Cumin powder
• ½ teaspoon Coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon Garam Masala powder
• ½ tablespoon Sugar
• ½ tablespoon Ghee (Clarified butter)
• Salt to taste
• 2-3 tablespoons Mustard oil for cooking
• 7-8 cups of hot Water, to cook the khichuri

1. Wash the Gobindobhog chaal 3-4 times until the water gets clear. Then strain the excess water and keep it aside.
2. Wash the masoor dal (Red lentils) multiple times until the water gets clear and soak it in water for half an hour. Then drain the water and keep the lentils aside.
3. Put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Add 2 tablespoons mustard oil into it.
4. Once the oil is hot, add potato pieces and fry them over high or medium high flame evenly till crispy golden brown from all sides. Transfer them on a separate plate.
5. Add the carrots, peas into the pan and fry them over medium flame for 3-4 minutes and transfer them to a plate.
6. Add 1 tablespoon of mustard oil into the same pan. Once the oil is hot, add bay leaf, dry red chillies, cumin seeds and let them crackle.
7. Add chopped onions into the pan and fry them over medium high flame for 3-4 minutes till translucent.
8. Add chopped ginger, garlic into the pan and mix it well. Cook it in low flame for couple of minutes until the raw smell disappears.
9. Add large onion chunks and tomato pieces into the pan and mix it well.
10. Add salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder and mix them nicely. Cook them on low flame for 2-3 minutes until the tomatoes get mushy.
11. Add cumin powder, coriander powder and mix them nicely. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water to cook the masala. Cook them over medium flame for 1-2 minutes until it releases oil.
12. Add gobindobhog rice and soaked lentil (Masoor dal) into the pan and fry them together for 3-4 minutes over medium flame.
13. Add 3 cups hot water, salt into the pan and give a stir. Cover the pan and cook it over high flame for 5 minutes until the water gets soaked.
14. Add 2 more cups of hot water and all the fried vegetables, green chillies, sugar and give a stir. Cover the pan and cook it over low flame for 10 minutes.
15. Again, add 2 more cups of hot water and stir it nicely. Cover the pan and cook it over low flame for 10 minutes. Check whether the lentils and rice are properly cooked or not.
16. If not, then add 1 cup hot water and give a nice stir. Cover the pan and cook it for another 5 minutes. For me, this step was required.
17. At the final stage of cooking, add garam masala powder, ghee and mix them nicely.
18. Switch off the flame and now masoor dal khichdi Bengali is ready to serve.
    Note: The consistency of the khichuri during the time of switching off the flame should be runny because it will get thick after some time.

Serve the portions of masoor dal khichdi Bengali on serving plates. Serve hot or warm for the best taste. Pair up the authentic dish with ilish mach bhaja, omelette or begun bhaja and enjoy the eternal taste of Bengali food.

Masoor dal khichdi recipe | Masoor dal khichdi Bengali | Masoor daler khichuri

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 5 minutes (Excluding soaking time of dal) Cooking Time: 40 minutes 40 minutes

Nutrition facts: NA calories NA fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

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Ingredients

1 cup = 250 ml

• ¾ cup Gobindobhog chal (Small grain rice)
• ¾ cup Masoor dal (Red lentils)
• 3 medium Potatoes, cut into half
• 1 large Carrot, cut lengthwise 2 inches
• 1/3 cup Peas, fresh or frozen
• 1 Tomato, deseeded and diced
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 1 small Onion, cut into 4 pieces
• 1 tablespoon Garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon Ginger, finely chopped
• 3-4 green Chillies
• 1 Bay leaf (Tejpatta)
• 2 dry red Chillies
• 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
• ¾ teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon red Chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon Cumin powder
• ½ teaspoon Coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon Garam Masala powder
• ½ tablespoon Sugar
• ½ tablespoon Ghee (Clarified butter)
• Salt to taste
• 2-3 tablespoons Mustard oil for cooking
• 7-8 cups of hot Water, to cook the khichuri

Instructions

1. Wash the Gobindobhog chaal 3-4 times until the water gets clear. Then strain the excess water and keep it aside.
2. Wash the masoor dal (Red lentils) multiple times until the water gets clear and soak it in water for half an hour. Then drain the water and keep the lentils aside.
3. Put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Add 2 tablespoons mustard oil into it.
4. Once the oil is hot, add potato pieces and fry them over high or medium high flame evenly till crispy golden brown from all sides. Transfer them on a separate plate.
5. Add the carrots, peas into the pan and fry them over medium flame for 3-4 minutes and transfer them to a plate.
6. Add 1 tablespoon of mustard oil into the same pan. Once the oil is hot, add bay leaf, dry red chillies, cumin seeds and let them crackle.
7. Add chopped onions into the pan and fry them over medium high flame for 3-4 minutes till translucent.
8. Add chopped ginger, garlic into the pan and mix it well. Cook it in low flame for couple of minutes until the raw smell disappears.
9. Add large onion chunks and tomato pieces into the pan and mix it well.
10. Add salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder and mix them nicely. Cook them on low flame for 2-3 minutes until the tomatoes get mushy.
11. Add cumin powder, coriander powder and mix them nicely. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water to cook the masala. Cook them over medium flame for 1-2 minutes until it releases oil.
12. Add gobindobhog rice and soaked lentil (Masoor dal) into the pan and fry them together for 3-4 minutes over medium flame.
13. Aadd 3 cups hot water, salt into the pan and give a stir. Cover the pan and cook it over high flame for 5 minutes until the water gets soaked.
14. Add 2 more cups of hot water and all the fried vegetables, green chillies, sugar and give a stir. Cover the pan and cook it over low flame for 10 minutes.
15. Again, add 2 more cups of hot water and stir it nicely. Cover the pan and cook it over low flame for 10 minutes. Check whether the lentils and rice are properly cooked or not.
16. If not, then add 1 cup hot water and give a nice stir. Cover the pan and cook it for another 5 minutes. For me, this step was required.
17. At the final stage of cooking, add garam masala powder, ghee and mix them nicely.
18. Switch off the flame and now masoor dal khichdi Bengali is ready to serve.

Note: The consistency of the khichuri during the time of switching off the flame should be runny because it will get thick after some time.