Vegan

Khichdi in a Jar – Indian Kitchari (lentil rice stew) Mix for Instant Pot or Saucepan

Khichdi – also called kitchari – is a cozy lentil rice stew, and khichdi in a jar is a great gift to introduce this delicious Indian comfort food to your loved ones! Empty jar into saucepan or instant pot and cook! This post was originally published December 2017. It has been updated with new pictures and video

Khichdi or kitchari is dal and rice risotto-like preparation that usually is very lightly spiced and served as light meal when you are sick or just to give the digestion a break with a simple nourishing meal.

The gift jar is packed with lentils, rice, and spices that you can simply empty into a pot of veggies and water and cook on the stove or in your Instant Pot. It’s a super simple recipe, and since you pack the spices separately from the rice and lentils, your recipient can wash the rice and lentils without losing any of that amazing flavor!

close-up of prepared khichdi in the pan with non-dairy yogurt swirl

The most basic version of khichdi is less spiced, with just one or two spices. It is kind of an analog for chicken noodle soup. It’s a simple mildly spiced light meal. You can add different spices, vegetables, tomato etc to make it an even heartier meal. The basic version is in my first book, and this kitchari jar recipe is adapted from it.

Khichdi is generally overcooked to be more of a mash/porridge like for easy digestion. You can however adjust the texture by adjusting the cooking time. I give you a range of cooking time based on your preference. Cook it for less time for the grains and lentils to retain shape and cook a longer for a porridge. I use split lentils(petite yellow(moong dal) or red lentils(masoor dal) and white basmati rice. The lentils and rice have similar cook time and are hence paired. With brown rice you’d need to pair with longer cooking whole brown lentils ke mung beans. See my hearty green moong and brown rice version .

This bottled up kitchari makes a great gift. It’s perfect to introduce friends to Indian food even if they don’t have Indian spices, great to gift fora quick dump and done meal, and also to gift to yourself! You will want to make and eat lots of kitchari after the big holiday meals, and the jar reduces the active time to just about five minutes. It’s great to just have around for quick weeknight dinners! Add some chopped veggies in with the jar ingredients for a nourishing lentil rice stew.

khichdi in a jar with a Vegan Richa sticker and ribbon

To cook from the jar, Empty the contents into your Instant pot or a saucepan, add whatever veggies you like, add water and simmer until the lentils and rice are cooked to your liking! Serve as-is or with some chutneys or papadum/crackers.

You can also make this into a stew/curry by adding some non-dairy milk along with the water.

close-up of prepared khichdi in a bowl with rice

Why You’ll Love Khichdi/Kitchari in a Jar

makes a great holiday gift!
prepared khichdi is a perfect, soothing meal to balance out all of the rich holiday food
jars are simple to assemble
perfect to introduce people to Indian food even if they don’t have Indian pantry
perfect gift for anyone as it’s a quick dump and done meal
naturally gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free

More Jar Mixes

Cowboy Cookies in a Jar
Chai Spice
Dal in a Jar
Creamy Pasta Sauce in a Jar
Mac and Cheese Mix
Garam masala jar gift

Continue reading: Khichdi in a Jar – Indian Kitchari (lentil rice stew) Mix for Instant Pot or Saucepan

The post Khichdi in a Jar – Indian Kitchari (lentil rice stew) Mix for Instant Pot or Saucepan appeared first on Vegan Richa.

Vegan

Vegetable Hakka Noodles – 1 Pot Indo Chinese Noodles

Indo Chinese Hakka Noodles are packed with peppers, onions, cabbage and carrots in a simple, flavorful sauce. A perfect one-pan noodle stir fry or entree. (nut-free with easy soy-free and gluten-free options)

Hakka noodles in the pan after garnishing with scallions

Hakka noodles are a type of noodle made with wheat flour, but you can use this same sauce and veggie combination with similar noodles, like ramen or soba, if you can’t find Hakka noodles. Use Hakka noodles to make this Indian Hakka noodles!

Indo Chinese food is a big category of its own in Indian cuisine. There are several dishes that make up the cuisine. The dishes are known for being heavily influenced by chinese dishes and then they are amped up with additions like garlic, ginger, green chile, spices and more.

fork taking a bite from a bowl of Hakka noodles

Hakka noodles are a staple side that goes well with any of the Indo Chinese veggie mains like Cauliflower gobi Manchurian (also in book 1), or chilli tofu paneer. To make this into a meal, add some baked tofu or your favorite vegan meat substitute marinated in soy sauce, minced ginger, and garlic.

I like to make these Hakka noodles with peppers, onion, carrots and cabbage and any other veggies that I have. The sauces used are pantry friendly, some soy sauce, vinegar and Sambal oelek.

Hakka noodles are super easy, 1-pot, peppery and a great light weeknight meal! If you make these, do let me know in the comments and rate the recipe.