Quinoa khichdi

One fine Californian evening, I got introduced to this dish by my sister-in-law. I tell you, it was love at first bite! It somehow reminded me of those bhajans, where you retain a filmi tune and just change the lyrics. In this case, the recipe was the same, only sabudana was replaced with quinoa. I detest that practice for bhajans but absolutely loved it in a recipe. 

We all love sabudana khichdi in our family. Hence this healthier twist to it was a welcome addition to my arsenal. Quinoa is considered to be one of the superfoods. It is a fill-in-the-blank for protein requirement in vegetarian diets. I tried incorporating it in our diet in the form of rajma-quinoa but got a thumbs down. Now I am happy that little A and big D can be made to eat quinoa, minus the screwing up of noses and the accompanying drama. Another advantage of this khichdi is that it can be made instantly, as opposed to sabudana, which has to be soaked at least for 4-5 hours.

Serves - 3 

Ingredients:

Quinoa - 1 cup

Potatoes - 2 medium, boiled and crushed OR raw and diced

Peanuts - roasted and crushed OR powdered

Oil or ghee - 1.5 table spoons

Curry leaves - 6-8

Green chillies - 2 -3

Cumin seeds - 1 table spoon

Coriander leaves - a handful, washed and chopped

Salt - according to taste
Pepper - couple of pinches
Sugar - 1 teaspoon (optional)

Lemon juice - 1 table spoon

Way to Go:

1. Boil potatoes. Skin and break them by hand. If you want to use raw potatoes, peel and dice them.
2. In a pan, boil one cup of quinoa with 2 cups of water. 

3. Heat oil or ghee and add cumin seeds, curry leaves, green chillies. Add potatoes.

4. Crush peanuts. They can be crushed or powdered depending on one's preference. When potatoes are done 3/4th, add peanuts. 

5. Add boiled quinoa, salt and pepper powder. Mix well. Cover and cook for a couple of minutes on low flame. Add sugar.

6. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Add lime juice and mix well. Serve piping hot.

My Tips:

1. To reduce my time in kitchen, I put potatoes to boil in advance. When they are ready to be peeled, I put quinoa to boil. On another burner, I start sautéing potatoes. While they are being done, I crush peanuts, chop coriander and get lemon juice ready. By the time potatoes and peanut mix is ready, quinoa is ready to be added. 
2. You can adjust the quantities of ghee or (oil), chillies and pepper according to your taste.
3. You can add grated coconut or fresh pomegranate kernels for garnishing and added taste.

Paired with broccoli slaw salad, this is a complete meal. You can also pair this khichdi with a hearty mango lassi or aam raita (amarta) in summers and any soup in winters.