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Showing posts with label khichidi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label khichidi. Show all posts

Monday, March 28, 2016

Oria Arna ( Odisha Special )

With rice being the staple grain of Odisha, there many kinds of 'Khichidi' that one can find in this state. Unlike the Southern states which have rice varieties that include veggies and a whole lot of spices, the Odia folks simply cannot do without their dal. The running joke in the community is that even if one serves a guest with half a dozen gravy dishes along with rice, they would still berate the fact that the host forgot to serve dal. The only exception to this 'till dal does us apart' rule is the 'pakhala' , a watery rice dish that is served mostly during summers. This dish dispenses the need to pair it with anything that remotely resembles a gravy. As for the others, no exceptions can be made. Never ever.

One such little known but nevertheless delicious rice variety is the 'Oria Arna', an offering at the famous Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneshwar. A simple rice and lentil preparation with a seasoning of ginger, bay leaf and asafoetida in desi ghee, it is sheer delight on the taste buds. Apart from the 'no onion no garlic' days, I also like to cook this dish on the days when I am feeling lazy and want an easy one pot meal.

Read on for the recipe -


















Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients -


  • 1 cup arwa rice ( jeera rice)
  • 1 cup split yellow moong dal
  • 2-3 tsp desi ghee
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 1/2 inch ginger
  • 2 pinch asafoetida
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric
  • 4 tsp chopped cashews
  • 4 tsp raisins
  • 4-5 tsp finely chopped coconut pieces
  • salt to taste


Preparation - Wash the lentil and rice together. Strain and mix in the turmeric. Air dry on a flat surface for 2 hours.

Crush the ginger and keep aside.

Cooking - Heat 2 tsp ghee in a deep vessel. Add the cashews and raisins. Fry for 5-6 seconds and remove.

Add the bay leaf to the ghee. Once it releases fragrance, add the rice and dal to the same vessel. Stir fry for 3-4 mins till the ghee coats each and every grain.

Add 4 cups water, crushed ginger, sugar and salt. Also, add the finely chopped coconut.

Cook till done.

Heat the remaining ghee in a tempering pan. Add the asafoetida and allow it to crackle. Pour this tempering over the rice. Mix in the fried cashews and raisins.

Serve warm.




















Note - I personally like to have it with some fried papad and occasionally some thick yogurt too.

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Moudardara ( The Lebanese version of Khichdi )

I love rice varieties and when I chanced upon this amazing recipe on the show Vickypedia hosted on Living Foodz channel, I knew that I just had to give it a try ! And while it took time and patience to ready this khichdi, it turned out to be one sparkler of a dish. The richness of the caramelized onions, the aroma of Basmati rice, the luxurious fragrance of saffron coupled with the nutrition from a medley of pulses make it a wholesome choice for one pot meals !

One word about the texture though. As Moudardara essentially means scattered, it is more like a biryani rather than being mushy like a khichidi. So, do not go overboard with the water and the stirring. Remember that we an always add a little bit of moisture whenever needed.

Read on for the recipe -


















Preparation Time - 40-45 mins

Ingredients -
  • 1 1/2 cup basmati rice
  • 1 1/2 cup mixed lentils ( I used kidney beans, red lentils and horsegram )
  • 2 medium sized onions (sliced finely)
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tsp peppercorn
  • 1/2 tsp all spice powder
  • 2 tbsp + 2 tsp EVOO
  • salt to taste
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 2 pinch saffron

Preparation - Wash and soak the lentils overnight.

Crush the cumin and peppercorn into a coarse mix. Soak the saffron in the warm milk.

Cooking - Cook the lentils in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles. They should be just cooked and firm to touch. Drain the excess water but do not throw it away.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan. Add the onions and fry on low heat till they turn brown. Remove half of these onions from wok and keep aside.

Add the washed rice, cooked lentils, crushed spices, all spice and salt to the same wok. Mix together and cook for 2-3 mins till the rice grains are well coated with oil.

Add the drained water from the lentils and some more such that it just stands a few millimeters above the rice.

Bring to a boil and then let it simmer while covered till rice is almost done. Stir gently once or twice during the cooking.

Add the saffron along with the milk. Cook till the excess moisture disappears.

Mix in the remaining caramelized onions.

Serve with plain yogurt or a raita.



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