Khichdi is a popular dish in Indian cuisine traditionally made by cooking rice and lentils together. In this Plant-based Whole30 One-Pot Khichdi, we replaced rice with cauliflower rice and added a lot of veggies to bump up the nutrition and fiber content. This one-pot meal is easy to prepare and served as comfort food. It is often recommended as part of an Ayurvedic diet for those looking to improve their overall health and well-being. Khichdi is a balanced meal that provides protein, carbs, and fats! Using spices such as cumin, ginger, and turmeric helps enhance digestion and increase the bioavailability of nutrients.
Recipe Tips:
- If you cannot soak lentils in advance, increase cooking time by 10-15 minutes. We recommend soaking the lentils to improve digestibility and reduce cooking time.
- Red lentils can be substituted with mung beans or pigeon peas.
- Vegetables can be substituted. You can also add root vegetables like potatoes.
- You can cook Khichdi in an instant pot or a slow cooker.
This recipe is by Dee and Pri of Masala Paleo. Check out their helpful primer on traditional Indian spices. Or, try this Instant Pot Simple Sambar for another nourishing, one-pot meal!
Plant-Based Whole30 One-Pot Khichdi
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 2 cloves garlic sliced
- 1/2 cup chopped zucchini
- 1/2 cup chopped carrots
- 1/2 cup peas
- 1 cup red lentils
- 1.5 cup cauliflower rice (fresh or frozen)
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1.5 tsp salt
Instructions
- SOAK red lentils in water for 1 hour.
- DISCARD water from soaked lentils and rinse 2-3 times with fresh water.
- HEAT oil in a thick-bottomed pot or pan.
- ROAST cumin seeds till they are fragrant.
- ADD onion and saute for 3 minutes, followed by ginger and garlic.
- ADD in the zucchini, carrots, and peas, then saute for 5 minutes.
- ADD lentils to the pot along with 2.5 cups of water. You can increase the quantity of water if you want the khichdi to have a soupy consistency.
- ADD turmeric powder, garam masala and salt.
- COVER pot with lid and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. The lentils need to reach a creamy porridge-like consistency.
- REMOVE the lid and add cauliflower rice. If frozen, let it cook for 5 minutes. If fresh, let it cook for a few extra minutes.
- Garnish with cilantro and green chilies (optional).
Recipe Notes
- If you cannot soak lentils in advance, increase cooking time by 10-15 minutes. We recommend soaking the lentils to improve digestibility and reduce cooking time.
- Red lentils can be substituted with mung beans or pigeon peas.
- Vegetables can be substituted. You can also add in root vegetables like potatoes.
- You can cook this in an instant pot or a slow cooker.
