A bowl of hot comfort

(Published in The Bengal Post, Sunday)

There comes a time in everyone’s life when comfort is all that the heart – and soul and stomach – desires. This may happen during a time of stress, when work, life or anything in-between swamps the psyche and results in irritability, edginess and a general very large grouch. As is often the case, food works well as a relaxant and mood-soother, calming the nerves and smoothing the spikes and ravines of the mind. While chocolate is indeed most useful in crises like these, it does contain caffeine and will activate as much as it will relax. Chemically speaking, the ideal food for this kind of high-stress situation is rich in carbohydrate, even better with some tryptophan in the form of yoghurt thrown in. From the culinary and gustatory points of view, what hits the spot perfectly is anything starchy, be it bread or pasta, rice or potatoes. Emotionally and maternally speaking, mashed potatoes, risotto, beaked beans, dahi-chawal (yoghurt and rice), french fries…the list goes on. But perhaps the easiest and most frequently cooked up in the average Indian kitchen is khichdi, a cure-all for body and soul, easy to make, easy to eat, easy to digest and easiest of all to make interesting.

The rice and lentil dish, in its simplest form, is fairly ubiquitous, found in variations all over the world. It is traditionally considered ayurvedic comfort food, advised by the most modern doctors for an upset stomach, used often as an infant’s first solid intake, and relished by most when eaten piping hot from a large bowl while watching the rain come down outside, drenching the unwary and denying the sun a chance to cheer things up. It is eaten in its myriad permutations as a light meal in Pakistan and Bangladesh as well as by the native Americans and is believed to have been the basis for the Raj breakfast staple, kedgeree. But it all began a long time ago, when a dish of rice and pulses cooked together to an unctuous softness was described in Sanskrit as khicca, from which the modern-day khichdi or khichri is derived. It became very popular with the Mughal courtiers, especially with Emperor Jehangir, it is said – in fact, the famous Ain-i-Akbari, written by Akbar’s vizier in the 16th century, has seven different versions of the dish that was first written about by Afanasiy Nikitin, a Russian who travelled through India in the 15th century.

Khichdi – though perhaps not called that – is a favourite in different parts of the world. For breakfast, khansamas in the days of the Raj served up rice cooked soft with fish and eggs, while in China congee with pickled vegetables and dried shrimp served the same purpose. The American Indians stewed red (pinto) beans and rice with a little animal protein, while in Cuba rice is blended with black beans and slowly simmered for a long time. In India, the Bengalis like kichuri on rainy days or for special feasts, while in Tamil Nadu there is an entire celebration focussed on the dish, called Pongal, where the sweet and savoury versions share a banana leaf. It is a must-have in a Gujarati thali and the Maharashtrian fishing communities spice it up with a few prawns.

From the very bland and stomach-soothing dal-khichdi of the north to the rich gourmet fare it becomes in the South, to the heavy meal it serves in Bengal to the light yet spicy fare in the West, khichdi is indeed universal. But it is essentially a culinary base palette to which colour and flavour can be added. Emperor Jehangir liked it with lots of ghee, dried fruits and nuts; more modern folk like it less rich and fatty, to be eaten with Gujarati kadi or Tamilian morkozhambu (yoghurt based gravy), fritters or pakoras - from beguni (eggplant) to alur (potato) – papads, chips and pickles, in the company of vegetable preparations like undhiyo (Gujarat) or alu ka bharta (Bihar), or meat/fish like prawn patia (Parsi) or beef fry (Kerala), with a spoon, fork or, delightfully mushily, with fingers scooping each soft, fragrant bite up to the mouth…

Khichdi has no fixed recipe or proportions, though the finicky cook may cavil at that statement. It is a very personal food. It can be cooked in a pressure cooker, though the long slow stewing method produces the best results, on a kitchen hob or outdoors over a campfire. Usually made with rice and lentils, it can also include cracked wheat, barley, amaranth and other grains – though a wild rice experiment did not yield results that were too favourable, be warned! Most often, pulses such as moong, tur (arhar), masoor and sometimes chana dal is added to rice that cooks into fat, full, melting morsels, the whole being almost amorphous and delightfully gooey. Nuts and the occasional raisin add interest, while vegetables make it all more nutritious and wholesome – any sabji leftover in the fridge can work, and fresh-cut beans, carrots, onions, pumpkin, spinach, cauliflower and more can provide a tasty note. A touch of spice is also desirable, from garlic and ginger, to cardamom, cloves, cracked pepper, star anise and even a few strands of saffron for a luxe touch. Of course, a finishing spoonful of ghee stirred in is a must, calories be damned!

There is no better companion to have while watching the raindrops falling on other people’s heads on a wet day.


Recipes:

PONGAL
Rice 1 Cup
Moong Dal ½ to 1/4 Cup
Spices – whole cardamom, cloves, cinnamon – 6-8 pieces each
Cashew for garnish
Ghee 2 Tbsp
Water 6 Cups or more
Salt to taste

Method
Wash rice and dal together and drain.
Heat 1 tbsp ghee.
Gently fry the spices.
Add the rice/dal and fry till the ghee coats the mixture.
Add water and salt. Cover and cook, adding more water if required.
When rice and dal are cooked to the required softness, garnish with cashews fried in 1 tbsp ghee.
Cracked pepper and soft-cooked vegetables are a good addition. Pongal is most delicious eaten with morkozhambu (kadi made with ground coconut and buttermilk/yoghurt with chunks of white pumpkin), South Indian papad (unspiced), mango pickle and/or a spicy vegetable curry.



Kedgeree (an Anglo Indian recipe)
1 1/2 cups Basmati rice
3 cups water
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp black mustard seed
1 tsp cumin seed
3 cloves garlic minced
1″ knob of ginger grated
1 medium onion minced
1 chili minced
1 tbsp garam masala
2 tsp turmeric
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock
2 tbsp cream
50 gms smoked fish
Salt to taste
3 soft boiled eggs peeled and chopped
Coriander leaves and pomegranate seeds for garnish
Wash rice with cold water and put into a heavy bottomed pot with the water to simmer until all the water is absorbed. Turn the heat off.
Heat the oil and crackle the mustard and cumin seeds.
Add the garlic and ginger and fry until soft.
Add onions, chili, garam masala and turmeric and fry gently.
Add the stock and simmer for five minutes.
Turn down the heat and add cream, stirring all the while.
Add fish and salt to taste and stir for a couple of minutes.
Add the cooked rice and two chopped eggs and stir well.
Serve piping hot decorated with chopped coriander leaves, pomegranate seeds and boiled egg pieces. Eat with poppadoms and mango pickle.

Bon appetite!