Every food item also has a historical and cultural journey, hence food cannot be kept separate from it. Certainly, the contribution of Kayasthas in Indian food is very high, many dishes in their kitchen got new flavor, taste and appearance but there are many dishes which are dear to all of us. There is no patent on them – although they have been dear to Kayasthas also.
If you are asked to name the national food of India, what would you say? That food is socialist as well as royal, for the poor as well as for the rich, everyone adapted it in their own way. Cooked in their own way. This food should be called Anantjeevi. The journey of this food has been going on ever since rice and pulses were cultivated. This journey is of thousands of years. During this journey, many experiments were done with this food but its soul remains the same and eternal.
This food of ours is Khichdi. I saw many types of khichdi being prepared in my house. Tasted them. Spicy khichdi of arhar dal, dry khichdi, wonderful khichdi of black urad dal, satvik khichdi of moong and masala tadka khichdi of gram dal. Apart from this, when it was the corn season, Khichdi was prepared after grinding the corn with a stone mill, it used to be wonderful. Khichdi of grated millet is also no less tasty. Every kind of khichdi is made from it in the kitchen of Kayasthas and has been liked.
Any kitchen story is incomplete without Khichdi story.
There is a tradition of Khichdi feast in central and eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. There is a feast of Khichdi. When it is fried, pickles, raita, papad and salad are also served with it. Then the taste of Khichdi is heavenly. Any kitchen story is incomplete without the Khichdi story in the Indian subcontinent. Very simple and easy dish. Typical desi cuisine originating from Indian soil. Favorite of every kitchen.
There were many wars in the Indian subcontinent, foreign invaders came, new discoveries were made, imperialism flourished…when the foreigners returned from here, they also took Khichdi with them. Yes, it can be said that everyone enriched it in their own way. Seasoned with your own spices and ingredients. Basically Khichdi means a mixture of pulses and rice.
harmless pure ayurvedic food
Actually it is harmless pure Ayurvedic food, full of flavors and nutrition. From a scientific point of view, when rice and pulses are mixed and cooked in balanced quantity, amino acids are prepared, which is very important for the body. There is no better protein than this.
How did Emperor Jahangir like it?
It is said that once Emperor Jahangir went on a visit to Gujarat. There he saw people eating khichdi in a village for the first time. The king was suffering from loss of appetite in those days. He was also constipated. I had developed a distaste for spicy Mughal food. So when he saw Khichdi being made, the smell of the cooking food reached his nose. He himself requested to eat this food.
Then a royal cook was appointed for khichdi.
When people heard that Emperor Jahangir would eat khichdi, they were surprised. Well, Khichdi was served to him. So he liked it very much. However, in this khichdi, millet was used instead of rice. He immediately appointed a Gujarati cook to the royal kitchen. Then more experiments were done on it in the Mughal kitchen.
Khichdi made of dry fruits was also prepared in the Mughal kitchen.
Some people say that Khichdi was actually included in the Mughal kitchen by Shahjahan. Many types of khichdi were served to Mughal emperors. One of these was very special – in which dry fruits, saffron, bay leaves, mace, cloves and other spices were used. When it came to Dastar Khan after being cooked, its aroma was simply amazing. The hunger increased further. The tongue started watering. Other dishes would pale in comparison to this.
Khichdi made during festivals in Bengal has a very special taste – with almonds, cloves, mace, nutmeg, cinnamon and black pepper, it is so delicious that don’t even ask.
Abul Fazal told how to make khichdi
By the way, Khichdi has been mentioned a lot in our Vedas and mythological texts. Mughal writers have also written on this. In Ain-e-Akbari, Abul Fazal has mentioned seven methods of making Khichdi, but the recipe of the original Khichdi i.e. plain Khichdi has been described as follows.
05 bowl rice
05 bowls of lentils
05 bowls of ghee
salt as per taste
If you are going to make Khichdi, then try using this method once-
half cup moong dal
01 cup rice
3 to 4 cups water, or as needed
quarter teaspoon cumin
3 to 4 bay leaves
3 to 4 cloves
salt as per taste
recipe
Soak rice and pulses separately for a few hours. Then filter the water. Take three to four spoons of oil or ghee, add bay leaves and cloves and fry for a few seconds. Then slowly add pulses and rice to it. Fry it for eight to ten minutes. Now add more water to it. Close and cook on medium flame. Then after some time slow down the flame. Let it cook. Till rice and pulses are cooked. If needed, you can add more water. If you want, you can also add thinly sliced vegetables like spinach, tomato, cabbage, peas, but do this only when the khichdi is three-fourth cooked. Now you can sprinkle roasted cumin seeds, green coriander leaves and thinly chopped onions on it.
However, purists will say that the real Khichdi is the one in which you just mix rice, lentils, salt and turmeric and then cook it properly and eat it. However, the real joy of Khichdi is when it is served with pure hot ghee, raita, papad, chutney, pickle, potato bharta and salad. If you want, you can use different types of chutney. You will probably remember the taste of this food on your tongue for years.
Hare Krishna Movement Cookbook
Those who like vegetarian dishes around the world are suggested to read the Hare Krishna Movement’s cookbook, Hare Krishna Book of Vegetarian Cooking. It can also be downloaded. Through this book, a large number of people around the world learned to cook and eat vegetarian food.
This book was published for the first time in the year 1973. Then it became so popular that don’t even ask. You too must read it once. It not only tells about food but also about the health aspects of each food. This book says that pulses are the main source of protein along with iron and vitamin B in the Vedic diet. When these two are eaten together, the amount of protein automatically increases.
Where did Khichdi come from?
Do you know where is the real origin of Khichdi? It is said that it started in South India. Whether you go from Gujarat to Bengal or travel across the country or South Asia, you will definitely find Khichdi everywhere but with a different taste. In Maharashtra, a special kind of khichdi is made by adding lobster. In Bharuch, Gujarat, Kadhi is definitely served with Khichdi. In this khichdi, thin sauce made from wheat, curry leaves, cumin and mustard seeds are used. It is eaten as evening meal.
Alan Davidson writes in his book Oxford Companion for Food that for hundreds of years, every foreigner who came to India kept telling about Khichdi. Arab traveler Ibn Battuta came to India in the year 1340. He wrote, Moong is boiled with rice, then butter is added to it and eaten. There are so many forms, versions and methods of making Khichdi. (continued)
read this also
Food and drink of Kayasthas1: How is the kitchen of Lalas decorated, what is cooked in it
Food of Kayasthas 02: From kebabs to new style of biryani which came out of their kitchen
Food and drink of Kayasthas 03: Shab Degh meat which was very tasty and liver of lentils
Food and drink of Kayasthas 04: If there is no Shami Kebab and Seenk Kebab, then what kind of food will the Lalas of Lucknow have?
Food and drink of Kayasthas 05: Meat utensils were never mixed in the main kitchen utensils, wonderful Nimona was prepared in winters.
Food and drink of Kayasthas 06: Lalakat Tahari i.e. delicious dish with divine taste.
Food and drink of Kayasthas 07 – Dal bhare which after frying will beat any fast food, what used to happen in the kitchen then?
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Tags: food, food 18, food diet, Food Recipe, Healthy Foods
FIRST PUBLISHED: January 15, 2024, 11:57 IST
