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