Rampuri Khichdi

by Deepa Reddy

Excerpted and adapted from the work of Tarana Husain Khan, who generously shared with us both her written notes and a few cups of the precious Tilak Chandan rice.

The cookbook manuscripts collected and commissioned by the Nawabs of Rampur and preserved in the Rampur Raza Library have several elaborate versions khichdi but no reference to the urad dal khichdi which rules the gastronomic spread through winters. Surprisingly oral history is replete with instances of the devotion of the Nawabs of Rampur to the plebian urad daal khichdi. This is a democratic dish eaten across all social classes with condiments dictated by economic means. The less affluent use til (sesame) oil, which is also freshly harvested and pressed in winters, instead of the more expensive ghee (clarified butter). Green chilli chutney, yellow chilli chutney and radish pickle are the omnipresent sides. The chutneys are freshly prepared but the housewives are supposed to prepare the radish preserve well before the khichdi season to ensure its maturation. Several rounds of radish preserves are prepared through winters for they tend to run out quickly as people drink the tangy, spicy radish water to aid digestion after a heavy khichdi lunch. Borrowing the pickle from a neighbour or a relative is acceptable if one runs out.

The rice varieties Rampur residents ate till the 1990s in varying quantities across different income groups were Hansraj, Indrasan, Tilak Chandan. Long-grained Hansraj was kept for pulaos, Indrasan was for daily khuska (tempered or plain boiled rice) and Tilak Chandan, a small grained aromatic variety popular in the terai region, was eaten freshly harvested with urad (split black) lentils in the form of khichdi. Urad lentils are the main pulses grown in the region. The area under urad pulses was 148 hectares compared to 18 hectares for the combined cultivation of moong and moth pulses (Uttar Pradesh State Gazetteer Rampur 1975)—a fact which probably explains the choice of this dal for the khichdi instead of the moong that is more common elsewhere.

Washed rice and urad dal about to go into the pressure cooker on the left, and the inch-computation method traditionally used to measure the quantity of cooking water by finger-segment depth.

The use of Tilak chandan variety is important for the khichdi particularly because of its strong aromatic quality. The rice is small-grained and freshly harvested along with urad dal: the new rice adds stickiness, fresh urad adds its characteristic mucilaginous quality. Both are perfect for the texture of this khichdi. Eating khichdi meals together and calling over friends and family for khichdi dawat is an important aspect of Rampuriyat, the living Rampur culture.

Read more about Rampur’s khichdi in: Tarana Husain Khan, Degh to Dastarkhwan: Qissas and Recipes from Rampur. Penguin India, 2022.

Rampuri Khichdi

This recipe is a minimalist’s winter harvest delight: freshly harvested Tilak Chandan rice, freshly harvested urad dal, ginger, and peeli mirch or yellow chillies. You could use other similarly aromatic rices to mimic flavor, but there is really no substitute for Tilak Chandan’s play of volatiles! The rice as far as we know is grown only by one farmer in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, and only for home consumption. This recipe is borrowed from Tarana Husain Khan’s compendium of Rampur recipes in her book, Degh to Dastarkhwan: Qissas and Recipes from Rampur. Penguin India, 2022
Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup Tilak Chandan rice
  • 1/3 cup black split urad dal
  • 2 ” ginger
  • 5-6 peeli mirch or yellow chillies
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions
 

  • Wash the rice and the dal, and place together in a pressure cooker along with the minced or pounded ginger, and the chillies (adjusted to taste), broken into bits.
  • Add enough water – if the rice is freshly harvested, you need less. If the rice is older, more water will be needed to cook into a soft texture. Use the first segment of your middle finger to measure a depth of 1” of water with the grains and lentils sitting beneath.
  • Cook for 3-4 whistles.
  • Open the cooker, add salt.
  • Serve hot with ghee and other classic accompaniments including: mooli pani achaar [pickled radish], gobi ghost [lamb with cauliflower] and cream or yoghurt.