Simple Khechuri

Wash equal weights of fine rice, atap or siddha, and fried moog-dal, and drop them in boiling water. After a few minutes add sliced onions and potatoes, fried or raw, if desired. When the rice are half boiled add 2 tolas of powdered turmeric, i tola of powdered cumin and 21/2 tolas of salt for every seer of rice. Take the cooking-pot off the fire when the khechuri is fully boiled and is tolerably thick. Fry a few cloves, the seeds of a few cardamoms, some red chillies, broken in two, and cassia leaves in ghee in another pot. Pour in the khechuri when the smell of the spices comes out, and stir. Take down after a few minutes. Serve while hot with plenty of ghee, prepared from cow-milk, on the khechuri.

Slow heat and constant stirring are essential specially at the finishing time in the preparation of khechuri as was in the case of polao, otherwise a portion of the boiling mass may get scorched, and the whole thing may thereby be absolutely spoiled.

Khechuri With Green Peas

Required

Rice 1/2 seer, dal prepared from fried golden-coloured moog 1 seer, green pea-grains I seer, ghee 1/2 seer, saffron 1/2 tola, salt 3 tolas, turmeric 1/2 tola, coriander 1 tola, pepper 1 tola, cumin 1 tola, garammasalla 1/2 tola, a few cassia leaves and red chillies, a little-milk, onion 1/2 seer.

Method

Wash the rice and pulse, and dry them separately. Dissolve the saffron in a little milk and mix it with the rice. Heat half the ghee in a pan, and fry the rice and pulse together in it for about 5 or 6 minutes. Then pour in water so that it stands 2 or 3 inches above the mixture of rice and pulse. Put the lid on and cook on slow heat. Add salt, turmeric, coriander, pepper and cumin, all powdered or pasted, and the green pea-grains when the rice are half-boiled. Add water if necessary. Take the pan down when the mass is fully boiled.

Heat the rest of the ghee in another pan, and fry the cassia leaves and the red chillies, broken in two, in it. Add the finely chopped onions when the red chillies turn, black. Pour in the mass when the onions are properly browned, and stir. Add powdered or pasted garam-masalla when the mass is thick. Stir and take down Serve while hot.

Bhuni-Khechuri

Required

Fine atap rice 1 seer, fried moog-dal 1 seer, potato 1 seer, ghee 1/4 seer, onion 1 powa, turmeric 1 tola, salt 3 1/2 tolas, pepper 1 tola, cumin 1/2 tola, coriander 2 tolas, aniseed 1/2 tola, cloves 1/4 tola, cardamom 1/2 tola, cinnamon 1/4 tola, a few red chillies and cassia leaves.

Method

Pulverise the coriander, aniseed, half the pepper and half the cloves, bind them in a piece of clean cloth, arid boil with some cassia leaves in 4 seers of water till it is reduced to 21/2 seers. Throw away the boiled spices and keep the akhni water covered.

Wash and dry the rice and pulse, and brown them in half the ghee for 5 or 6 minutes. Then add akhni water and put the lid on. Do not stir much. Apply slow heat. Brown the pieces of potatoes and onions in another pan and drop them with turmeric, pepper and cumin, all powdered, and salt in the boiling rice when they are half boiled. Take down when the mass is fully boiled.

Boil the rest of the ghee with the cassia leaves and red chillies, and pour the mass in. Finish by adding the powdered cloves, cardamoms and cinnamon.

Try to keep the grains of rice and pulse entire. If meat is to be added, boil the meat while preparing akhni water, brown the boiled meat and drop them in the khechuri with the browned potatoes.