Khichdi is the most simple, humble & underrated food from the Indian Subcontinent. We tried to bring some interesting facts about this simple dish that is very common in all Indian Kitchens.
Origin of Khichdi
India is a country with Unity in Diversity & a land enriched with culture & vast heritage. Indian food has a 6000+-year-old historical background & influences different cultures. Every region has its claim to fame dishes & different style of cooking, their flavors & specialty change with the landscape. Khichdi is one of them & is native to Indian Subcontinent & known to all Indian kitchens irrespective of in which part of India you are.
The word, Khichdi is derived from the Sanskrit word Khicca (which means a combination of rice and dal). In Vedic literature, Khichdi is acknowledged as Krusaranna. It was the Mughals who made Khichdi prominent. Queen Victoria’s Urdu tutor Munshi Abdul Karim made her taste Khichdi.
History
The earliest reference to Khichdi is found in the epic Mahabharata when Draupadi fed this simple dish to Pandavas during their exile.
The Book called History of Ancient India (Page-623) highlights that when Chandragupta Maurya & Chanakya directly attacked the Patliputra to defeat Dhana Nanda, whose rule was oppressive to the people. The forces of Dhana Nanda surrounded them & Chandragupta Maurya & Chanakya managed to save their lives with difficulties. They ran away towards the border & stayed a night in a village. That night the house lady served the Khichdi to her son, who put his finger at the center of the dish & burned his fingers. The house lady told her son that he was a fool like Chandragupta, who directly attacked the Patliputra instead of first conquering the fort at the border. She taught her son a lesson that Khichdi is less hot at the edge & always eaten from the edge.
In 3 century BC, the Greek king Seleucus mentioned the dish with rice & pulses that was popular among the people of the Subcontinent during his campaign in India. In 1450 Ibn Batuta – the Moroccan traveler, mentioned Khichdi(made of rice and moong beans) during his stay in India. Afanasiy Nikitin, a Russian adventurer who traveled to the Indian Subcontinent in the 15th century wrote about this humble dish & mentioned this dish as an important part of the diet for Indians.
Importance of Khichdi in modern days
This dish is easy to digest and full of nutrition, helps to detoxify your digestive system & the ingredients used for prep improve energy level, immunity & digestion.
This dish is as modern as you will get in all-start hotels and the best Indian restaurant serving in town. Khichdi is also offered as bhog in many Indian temples and Gurudwaras.
Today every region of India has its variation of this classic dish. This dish has become everyone’s comfort food. It is the first staple food served to a child when they start eating. Now, this flavor of ancient India is tempered with state-wise modernization.
As mentioned, this is a common & popular Indian dish that one will find in all corners of India. So, you will also get countless varieties of khichdi in India. The base ingredients of this dish are Rice & Dal(Lentils) added with different spices, vegetables, or non-veg depending on region to region few of which I am going to mention below:
Kashmir
Known as Moong Khetchir, This Kashmiri version of Khichdi is made with rice & chilke wali moong ( Split Green Grams).
Meghalaya
Another version of Khichdi is Ja Dai from Meghalaya. Rice is cooked with lentils & is very popular among the Khasi community.
Odisha
The popular type of Khichdi served in Jagannath Temple, Puri as prasad called Ade Hengu Khechudi - made of Rice, Lentils, Ginger & Asafoedita. Otherwise, people at home cook Moong Dal Khechudi & served it with varieties of accompaniments.
West Bengal
Bhoger Khichdi is from West Bengal, specially prepared without onion- garlic and offered as a bhog to goddess Durga. It is prepared with rice and moong dal with added seasonal vegetables & spices.
Bihar
It is made with rice, dal & garam masala & eaten with ghee, Baigan ka bharta/ Aloo ka Bharta, tomato chutney, pickle, etc. It is eaten every Saturday in North India and during Makar Sankranti (a Festival day as per Hindu Calendar dedicated to the deity Sun).
Rajasthan
Special Khichdi is made with Bajra (pearl millet) & Yellow moong dal is one of the specialties of Rajasthan.
Gujrat
In Gujrat, Khichdi is served in various flavors such as Sadi(Plain) Khichdi, Masala Khichdi, & served with Kadhi.
Karnataka
Bisi Bele Bhat is from Karnataka, which translates to Hot Lentil Rice dish recipe is a whole meal. It is a belief that this dish originated in Mysore Palace.
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu has its version of Khichdi called Pongal. This dish is made of freshly harvested rice & lentils & available in sweet & savory versions. Pongal is a harvest festival celebrated in South India during harvest time to thank the Sun, Nature & various farm animals.
Hyderabad/Telangana
The Muslim community of Hyderabad & Telangana State makes Khichdi with minced meat & enjoyed it with Khatta (a dish like salan). This dish is commonly eaten with an omelet as well.
Significance of having Khichdi on an auspicious day of Makar Sankranti
On Makar Sankranti, most people eat Khichdi in India because Sankranti is a famous harvest festival of North India, & during that auspicious day it is made with harvested rice and daal. That is the cultural reason behind making this superfood on Sankranti.
Why do we eat khichdi on Saturday?
According to Hindu astrology, it is said that eating Black Urad Dal Khichdi on Saturday keeps the ill effects of Shani Dev at bay. That is only a belief mainly. It is easy to digest, it helps in the detoxification of the body. Because of its simple ingredients, it also helps in weight loss. According to your taste, one can vary it by adding seasonal vegetables to make it more healthy.
In North India, it is a popular saying:
Khichdi ke Hain Chaar Yaar – Ghee, Papad, Dahi, Achaar.
This dish is eaten along the length & breadth of India by the rich & poor both. This dish was promoted as Brand India Food globally & unveiled to other parts of the world at the global food show- World Food India in the Year 2017 and promoted as an Indian Superfood.
Brand India Food
Do make this superfood and connect us on Indian Food Therapy with your experience.
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Now i think I know lot about khichadi..i never new it has so much importance….thank you
Very well explained. Very informative blog. got to learn a lot.
such a piece of knowledge about khichadi …..gr8