Barley Kichadi - PUBLISHED

https://www.plattershare.com/recipe/barley-khichdi/?utm_campaign=yummly&utm_medium=yummly&utm_source=yummly

1 - Very good flavour but I ended up cooking the barley and lentils by accident (just wanted to speed up soaking but the water was too hot) and the end result was a very soupy consistency. In recognizing my mistake, I looked at cooking instructions for the barley and even though I didn't follow them, they were a bit weird so I went back to my Ayurvedic cookbook and made some changes to try for next time.

2 - This time, I did not soak the barley and lentils first, but I did use the revised cooking time. I also used tinned tomatoes instead of fresh. For the first, the consistency was much better, but while Ben and Paz liked it, I felt that it was a bit dry, so next time I'll soak the barley for an hour, first. Secondly, the tinned tomatoes worked just fine, therefore I'm indicating that fresh (preferred) or tinned tomatoes can be used. Oh, finally I used lemon balm (3 sprigs) and it seemed to work.

3 - I will graduate this to a Test 1 even though I didn't do the actual cooking. Paz made it, and it turned out quite nicely. I soaked both the barley and the lentils and it worked well.

4 - This has become a standard recipe, therefore is ready to graduate La Mouffette Gourmande.

1 cup pearl barley  (soaked for an hour then drained)

1/2 cup yellow mung dal OR red lentils

2 Tbsps mild veg oil or ghee 

1/2 tsp mustard seeds 

1/2 tsp cumin seeds  

1 onion, finely chopped 

10 curry leaves 10 OR lime zest (from 1 lime?) OR fresh lemon balm

A pinch of asafoetida (aka hing)

1/2 inch fresh ginger, grated or chopped finely

3 to 4 green chillies, chopped finely

1/4 tsp turmeric powder 

2 tomatoes, finely chopped (or 10oz tinned)

3 cups water 

1 tsp salt or to taste

Chopped coriander leaves for garnishing

2 Tbsps lemon or lime juice 

OPTIONAL: carrot, peas, fresh beans or any other vegetable of your choice

1. Soak barley and pulses for at least 1 hour in plenty of water. Drain the water away before using in the recipe. 
2. Heat ghee in a large saucepan over medium flame.
3. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When they pop, add chopped onions and sauté.
4. Add curry leaves, hing, ginger and green chilies. Stir fry for up to 2 minutes, or until onions become translucent.
5. Add chopped tomatoes and cook till they become soft.
6. Add the soaked barley and moong dal and mix well. 
7. Add 3 cups of water and salt. Allow the water to come to a nice boil.
8. Lower the heat and cover to cook.
9. Cook for 15 to 20 50 minutes to an hour or until the barley is well cooked and the water is fully absorbed.
10. Add more water if required, if you feel the barley is not cooked enough. 
11. Remove from heat and serve, sprinkled with lemon juice and garnished with chopped coriander leaves.
12. Serve barley khichdi with yogurt or as it is.