I always used to associate oats with breakfast or cookies, but never with any spicy Indian food, be it khichdi, idli, upma or dosa. Nowadays it seems like there’s a lot of new Indian recipes that have oats in them. On my recent trip to India I saw quite a few oat-based packaged foods displayed on shelves. I also noticed a renewed interest in whole grains like millets, quinoa and so on. I take is a good sign, as long as they’re not processed.
Khichdi
I personally consider khichdi (aka khichari) my comfort food. When I’m back from a long trip or when I’m short on time or when I’m simply too lazy to cook up a full meal, khichdi is my go-to meal. My most favorite kind is the one with basmati rice and mung lentils, cooked with onion, potato and South Indian tempering. Mung is an integral part of khichdi and has a dominant flavor and texture in this dish.
Multigrain Vegetable Khichdi
Spicy Oats Khichdi
While there are different kinds of oats one could choose from, my personal choice for this recipe is steel cut oats. The texture is similar to brown rice and being cut to smaller pieces, they cook better, faster. The original recipe my friend shared with me has everything cooked together (including veggies), like a one-pot meal. Since I like my veggies a bit more crunchy, I decided to do this in two separate steps. It turned out great for me!
Whole grain oats are well known for their nutrition, especially for a soluble fiber called beta glucan. This helps slow to digestion and reduce hunger. Oats are known to help reduce the risk of heart disease and also lower cholesterol and blood pressure. Mung lentils are not only flavorful, they are a good source of plant protein.
Check out our delicious, wholesome, one-pot meals and sides:
- Vegetable Multigrain Khichdi
- Brown Rice Khichdi
- Pulihora | Puliogare with Brown Rice
- Brown Rice Vegetable Pulao
- Savory Brown Rice Pongal
- Brown Rice Matar (Peas) Pulao
- Egg Tomato Spicy Rice
- Jeera Quinoa
- Mexican Rice
- Brown Jeera Rice
- Bisi Bele Baath
- Quinoa Vegetable Pulao
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Spicy Oats Khichdi
Ingredients
Instant Pot Khichdi Base
- 1 Cup Oats - Steel cut
- 1 Cup Yellow Mung
- 1 Teaspoon Ginger - Fresh, grated
- 1 Pepper Green Chili Pepper - Fine cut
- 1/4 Cup Onion - Fine cut
- 2 Tablespoons Ghee - Organic. Substitute with coconut oil for vegans
- 1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt - Or to taste
- 1/4 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper - Ground
- 3.5 Cups Filtered water
Sauteed Veggies
- 1 Teaspoon Ginger - Fresh, grated
- 1/4 Cup Onion - Fine cut
- 1/4 Cup Bell Peppers - Assorted, small pieces
- 1/4 Cup Carrots - Small pieces
- 1/4 Cup Potato - Small pieces
- 1 Tablespoon Ghee - Organic
- 1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt - Or to taste
Instructions
- To prepare khichdi base in Instant Pot (IP): 1. Wash oats and mung lentils, drain, set aside 2. Set IP to 'sauté' mode and add 1 tablespoon of ghee 3. When the 'hot' sigh appears, add ginger, onions and sauté till slightly brown, add turmeric and mix well 4. Add washed oats, mung lentils, salt, water, ground pepper, and mix well 5. Set lid on and switch IP to 'porridge' mode (22 minutes) 6. Wait for natural release, remove lid, add remaining ghee, mix well and set aside to cool.
- To sauté veggies with khichdi base: 1. Cut vegetables and set aside in a bowl 2. Set pan on stove top on low to medium heat and add ghee 3. Once hot, sauté onion and ginger till slightly brown 4. Add veggies, salt, and cook till they reach desired softness 5. Add khichdi base and mix will for a couple of minutes.
- Enjoy hot khichdi with your favorite chutney
