kicchadi, gujarati comfort food

We used to eat this every Sunday evening when we were growing up.  It's the perfect comfort food for really anytime you're feeling under the weather and need something hot and soothing.  I prefer to eat kicchadi with a bowl of steamy kadhi but A, prefers just yogurt.


kicchadi

learned from my mom 

3/4 cup of plain white rice, rinse/soak for 30 minutes

1/4 cup split green lentils, rinse/soak for 30 minutes

1/2 onion, diced

1 inch piece of ginger

1 eggplant, chopped

handful spinach

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp jeeru (cumin seed)

1/2 tsp rai (mustard seed)

pinch hing (asofetida)

3 tsp dhanajeeru (cumin powder)

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp marchu (red chili powder)

1/4 tsp hardar (tumeric)

1 tsp vegetable oil

2 cups water

Rinse rice and green lentils thoroughly and soak for 30 minutes.  On medium heat in a pressure cooker, add oil and once sizzling add rai.  Wait 15 seconds and then add jeeru and hing.  Once fragrant, add onion and ginger to spice mixture.  Once the onion is translucent add the eggplant and saute for 1-2 minutes.  Add remainder of spices and pour in the rice/lentil mixture.  Add 2 cups of water and handful of spinach.  Taste the liquid to check for spices.  If you like it spicier add more garam masala or marchu.  Set pressure cooker top with whistle and let it cook for 10 minutes on medium high heat.  Turn the heat off and let sit idle for 10 minutes to release all of the pressure in the cooker.  Serve with plain yogurt and gunda pickle.

Serves 2