Moong Dal Khichdi With Ghee: The Comfort Food Every Home Knows
By Thaaro Foods · 8 October 2026
Rice and moong dal, cooked soft, finished with a spoon of ghee and a jeera tadka. The meal every Indian kitchen turns to on a quiet evening.
Khichdi is the dish every Indian home falls back on: on a busy night, after a festival week, or when only something simple will do. Made right, it is soft and savoury, and the spoon of ghee on top is not optional.
Ingredients (serves 3–4)
- ½ cup rice and ½ cup yellow moong dal, washed together and soaked 15 minutes
- 3½–4 cups water (more for a softer, porridge-like khichdi)
- ¼ tsp turmeric and salt to taste
- For the tadka: 2 tbsp ghee, 1 tsp cumin (jeera), a pinch of hing, 1 tsp grated ginger, 1 green chilli (slit), a few curry leaves (optional)
- To serve: more ghee
Method
- Tadka first: heat the ghee in the pressure cooker on a medium flame. Add the cumin; when it crackles, add the hing, ginger, chilli and curry leaves and stir for a few seconds.
- Add the rice and dal: drain them, add to the cooker with the turmeric and stir for a minute in the ghee.
- Cook: add the water and salt, close the lid and cook for 3–4 whistles on a medium flame. Let the pressure drop on its own.
- Finish: open, stir well, and add a little hot water if it has thickened too much. Serve hot with a spoon of ghee on each plate.
What to serve with it
- Curd or a glass of chaas
- Papad and a little lemon or mango pickle
- Roasted aloo or a dry sabzi
Variations
- Vegetable khichdi: add peas, carrot, potato and tomato with the rice and dal.
- Bajra khichdi: the Rajasthani winter version, with soaked pearl millet and moong dal, cooked longer.
- Double tadka: pour a second ghee tadka of cumin, garlic and red chilli on top just before serving. See how to make a perfect tadka.
A2 cow ghee gives khichdi a light, nutty finish: see A2 cow ghee.
Questions
What is the water ratio for moong dal khichdi?
About 3½ to 4 cups of water for ½ cup rice and ½ cup moong dal, in a pressure cooker. Add more for a softer khichdi.
How many whistles for khichdi?
3 to 4 whistles on a medium flame, then let the pressure drop on its own.
When should I add ghee to khichdi?
Use ghee for the tadka at the start, and put a spoon of ghee on each plate when you serve it.