Khichdi (dish)

Khichdiorkhichri(Urdu:کھچڑی,romanized:khicṛī,Hindi:खिचड़ी,romanized:khicṛī,pronounced[ˈkʰɪtʃɽiː],Bengali:খিচুড়ি,romanized:Khicuṛi,Odia: ଖେଚୁଡି) is a dish inSouth Asian cuisinemade of rice andlentils(dal) with numerous variations. Variations includebajraandmungdalkhichri. InIndian culture, in several regions, especially in the northern areas, it is considered one of the first solid foods that babies eat.
The wordKhichdīis derived fromSanskritखिच्चाkhiccā,a dish of rice and legumes.
Some divergence of transliteration may be noted in the third consonant in the wordkhicṛī. The sound is theretroflex flap[ɽ], which is written inHindiwith theDevanagariletter ⟨ड़⟩, and inUrdu scriptwith thePerso-Arabicletter ⟨ڑ⟩. InHindustani phonology, the etymological origin of the retroflex flap was/ɖ/when it occurred between vowels.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 wordkhicṛīhas given rise to two alternative spellings in English:khichri, which reflects its phonology, andkhichdi, which reflects its etymology.
TheGreekkingSeleucusduring his campaign in India (305-303 BC), mentioned that rice with pulses is very popular among people of the Indian subcontinent.Straboalso notes that Indian food mainly consisted of rice porridge and a beverage made of rice, presently calledarak.TheMoroccantravelerIbn Battutamentionskhichdias a dish in India composed of rice andmung beans, during his stay around 1350.khichdiis 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.There is an anecdotal story about khichdi featuring Akbar and his court advisor,Birbal.
TheAnglo-Indian dishkedgereeis thought to derive from khichri.
Khichdi is a very popular dish across theIndian subcontinentwhich consists of,Bangladesh,Pakistan,NepalandSri 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.Vegetables such ascauliflower, potato, and greenpeasare commonly added.
Hindus, mainly from north/northwest, who avoid eating grains during fasting, eatSabudana khichrimade fromsago.In the southern part of India, however, the wordkhichriis not that popular. While people of Tamil Nadu and Andhra regions cookPongal, and Kannadigas prepareHuggiwhich ismung dalkhichdi andBisi bele bhath, a pigeon pea variation with vegetables, Keralites have no similar dish.
Khichdi was the inspiration forAnglo-IndiankedgereeKhichdiis a popular traditional staple in Haryana, specially in the rural areas.Haryanvi khichdiis made from pearl millet and mungdal(split mung bean) pounded in mortar (unkhal), and often eaten by mixing with warmgheeorlassi, or even yogurt.Sometimes,jowaris also mixed withbajraandmung dal.
TheHyderabadi Muslimcommunity, of the erstwhileHyderabad State, in present-dayTelangana,Marathwada, andKalyana-Karnatakaregions, makekhichdias a common breakfast dish, and is an important part ofHyderabadi cuisine.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.
Khichrais similar tohaleem, a meat dish, whilekhichrais a vegetarian dish with rice and pulses or lentils, with no spices.
In 2017, Indian media unofficially designated it as the "national dish", as it is being globally promoted by thegovernment of Indiaas "queen of all foods". The report that the government may designatekhichrias India's "national dish" brought significant ridicule from the opposition politicians.
However, India'sMinister of Food Processing IndustriesHarsimrat Kaur Badalclarified that whileKhichdiis considered nutritious and healthy food in India, the government did not have any plans to designate a national food.
Khichdihas 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 asKhichdiandInstant Khichdi.
The dish has been cooked at both MasterChef Australiaand America.