SaKKre Kichidi

When Asha from Foodie’s Hope invited me to participate in the RCI:Karnataka Cuisine
I was pleased to participate, this is my first Food Event participation and I am really thrilled and happy to be part of this event! Thanks Asha!!
More over being from Karnataka the whole event & the participation makes extra special for me. When it came to the recipe for this event I thought what could be better than the authentic konkani style Kichidi.
We make kichidi using chana dal, cracked wheat, sugar, fresh grated coconut and a good amount of cashews and raisins fried in ghee. The nutty flavor from roasted chana dal and the starchy and smooth cracked wheat makes a rich and nice aromatic dish.Sakkar in konkani means sugar,we also prepare using jaggery or gud. Both taste equally good and have their own true flavors.This is a regular dish at my place and was prepared during most of the festivities. Everyone loved it and we served it with a spoonful of ghee & thinly sliced fresh and ripe bananas, oh I tell ya’ll the experience is just delightful in every bite!!



Ingredients:

¼ cup chana dal
½ cup cracked wheat
¾ cup sugar (add more if you want it very sweet and vice versa)
Water
1 tsp cardamom powder (2 to 3 cardamom pods)
½ cup freshly grated coconut (can use frozen too)
4 tbsp ghee or clarified butter (more the merrier)
1 tbsp raisins
1 tbsp cashew halves

Method:

1. To start with, heat a pan and dry roast the chana dal on a medium heat till you feel the roasted aromas from the chana dal.

2. In the same pan add about 1 tbsp ghee and roast the cracked wheat till its fried well, about 4 to 5 minutes on medium heat.

3. Take pressure cooker and add both the chana dal as well as the cracked wheat, add water (about 2 to 3 cups) and cook for up to 4 to 5 whistles or till done.
If you are cooking the dal and cracked wheat in a saucepan then cook the dal first, when its half way through done add the cracked wheat and cook till soft and mushy.( add water if needed)

4. Heat a heavy kadai or a deep skillet, pour the cooked chana dal & cracked wheat (the texture should be very soft and mushy just like pongal or kichidi), add little water about ¼ to ½ cups during this step depending on how thick it is.

5. Add sugar, freshly grated coconut, mix well and cook further on a medium flame for about 5 to 10 minutes.

6. Heat a small tadka pan; add ghee (clarified butter) and fry cashew halves and raisins till the cashews turn golden brown and the raisins fluff up.

7. To the kichidi now add the cardamom powder, the fried cashews and raisins and combine all together.

While serving drizzle a tsp of ghee!

Note: Don’t worry if the kichidi is a little watery, because as time goes by it thickens and regains its texture.