Jain Moong Dal Khichdi: A Plain Supper Before Sunset

Khichdi is the dish a Jain household reaches for when the day has run late and sunset is close. It is one pot, it takes about thirty minutes, and it needs nothing that the Jain food rules set aside. This version uses split yellow moong, rice, ghee and a handful of seasonings, and it is the simplest place to see how the rules shape a recipe rather than limit it.

The rules themselves are explained on the Jain recipes index. This page follows the one that matters most for khichdi: the evening meal is finished before the sun sets.

Serves: 3 to 4. Time: about 35 minutes including soaking.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup split yellow moong dal (moong dhuli)
• 1/2 cup rice, a short or medium grain such as kolam or sona masoori
• 2 teaspoons ghee
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• A tiny pinch of asafoetida (hing)
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon dry ginger powder (sunth)
• 3 1/2 cups water
• Salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander leaves, to finish

Method

1. Wash the dal and rice together in several changes of water until it runs nearly clear. Soak for 15 minutes, then drain.
2. Warm the ghee in a pressure cooker or heavy pan. Add the cumin and let it colour for a few seconds, then the asafoetida.
3. Add the drained dal and rice and stir for a minute so the grains take up the ghee.
4. Add turmeric, dry ginger, salt and the water. In a pressure cooker, give it three whistles and let the pressure fall on its own. In a pan, cover and simmer on low for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring now and then, adding a little hot water if it thickens too fast.
5. Mash lightly with the back of a ladle. Serve hot with a spoon of ghee and the coriander.

Why it follows the rules

No onion or garlic. Asafoetida carries the savoury note that onion and garlic would otherwise give. Jain practice sets onion and garlic aside because they are grown below the ground and, in the tradition’s reckoning, are among the foods in which many beings share one body. The reason is fuller on the index page.

Dry ginger, not fresh. Fresh ginger is a root, so it is set aside. Dried ginger is the usual substitute in Jain kitchens, and it brings a similar warmth to a bowl of dal and rice. Households differ on whether dried roots are acceptable, so your own family’s practice decides.

Eaten before sunset. The evening vow of chauvihar, which many Jains keep every day, means taking nothing after sunset. The reasons given are practical and ethical together: before electric light, a kitchen after dark drew small insects that could not be seen or spared, and a meal that finishes in daylight leaves the stomach lighter for the night. A one-pot meal like khichdi lets a person cook late in the afternoon and still sit down in time. The Pachkhan time calculator gives your sunset and the time for chauvihar in your city.

Serving

Khichdi is ordinarily eaten with a spoon of ghee, a pinch of salt and perhaps a thin roasted papad. A common companion is plain buttermilk, though the Jain rule on mixing milk products with pulses (the dwidal rule, described on the index page) applies to the buttermilk if it is raw and the dal is not fully cooked. Because the dal here is cooked to softness, most households serve it without concern, but follow your own sangh’s custom.

Variations

• Ayambil version: leave out the ghee, cumin and turmeric and cook the dal and rice with salt only, as described in the ayambil meal.
• With doodhi: add 1 cup of peeled, diced bottle gourd with the water. It melts into the khichdi and makes it softer.
• For children or an unwell stomach: use 1 cup of rice to 1/4 cup of dal and extra water for a loose, porridge-like consistency. If illness is the reason, see a doctor rather than relying on food alone.

Related

• Jain recipes: the rules and the dishes
• Lauki sabzi without onion or garlic
• Chaumasa: the four monsoon months
• Paryushan fasting: every level
• Pachkhan time calculator

Frequently asked questions