Comfort in a Bowl of Khichuri

First things first, what is khichuri? Khichuri, my dear friends, is the ultimate one-bowl meal. Made of rice, lentils and vegetables (optional), it is comfort, health, warmth and nostalgia in a bowl. You will find variations of this super healthy food as you cross over India.

In West Bengal, khichuri is often the first dish anyone learns to cook. A step I seemed to have missed completely. This was evident when Maa was out of town and Baba and I wanted to eat khichuri. And neither of us was sure how to make it. Horrors!

This ‘shameful’ situation was relayed to maa over the phone and she guided Baba in the khichuri-making process. Day saved. We had a yummy lunch of piping hot khichuri topped with ghee and a side of roasted fish. Khichuri can also be served with vegetable fritters, roast meat or fish, curries or omelettes. It is a staple during holy ceremonies as offerings to deities and preferred for community meals that follow the ceremony.

Yours truly made the decision to learn this super healthy food as guided by maa and pishi⁴. For the parents, khichuri making was more a trip down memory lane.

Khichuri was a must on poush sankranti which would be celebrated with picnics and visits to funfairs. “We would head to a farm of a clearing in the forest along with utensils and ingredients to make lunch. Everyone would pitch in and a huge batch of khichuri would be cooked as picnic lunch. The next day, all of us friends would troop in to the funfair for a fun-filled day,” baba reminisced.

Photos: Vaibhav Tanna