Bajra Khichdi

As I had mentioned in an earlier post, I am trying out alternative grains as food. As part of it, I tried Bajra Khichdi/Pongal.

Ingredients:

1. Bajra - 1 cup
2. Moong Dal - 1/2 cup
3. Bay leaf - 1
4. Jeera-Kalonji - 1 tsp
5. Pepper (coarsely crushed) - 1/2 tsp.
6. Ghee - 1 tbsp.
7. Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp.
8. Salt - to taste

Procedure:

1. Dry roast bajra and moong dal separately for a few minutes till they give out aroma, but do not brown them.
2. Coarsely grind (pulse) bajra in a mixie.
3. In a cooker, heat ghee, temper with jeera-kalonji. Add bay leaf, asafoetida.
4. Add in the bajra and moong dal and mix well. 
5. Add water (around 3 cups) and pepper&salt, stir well and pressure cook for 3-4 whistles. In case you fear that the khichdi might get burnt if cooked directly, perform the above 2 steps in a kadai, transfer it to a vessel and pressure cook it.
6. Serve steaming hot with a piece of jaggery.

Note: Bajra uses less water than rice for cooking. Initially, calibrating the right amount of water was a little difficult, but I got a hang of it after 2-3 times. After cooking, the khichdi should be pasty. If there is more water floating on top after cooking, the dal might not be cooked fully. In that case, drain the excess water and pressure cook again for 2 whistles till the dal grains are homogeneously mixed with the khichdi. Add the drained water back and stir well and cook uncovered for a few minutes.