Kadhi and Khichdi – A nutritious and comforting meal, home cooked by my mom is what I reminisce eating for many evening meals.
In winters, we enjoyed Khichdi with a piping hot bowl of yogurt based soup{kadhi} and in the summer it was served with a cool and refreshing ginger-yogurt-cilantro drink {mathha}. Mom has a dozen Khichdi recipes that she rotates. Although, if I had to pick my favorite, it would be this one with mixed lentils that is aromatic and is lightly spiced with onion, ginger, garlic and cilantro.
I have adapted my mom’s Kadhi and Khichdi recipe using Instant Pot. It is now my go-to meal for busy week nights or a lazy sunday evening or on a day when I do not feel like cooking anything elaborate yet make sure we eat a healthy meal. Served with roasted papad and spicy pickle this makes a great comforting meal. 
This Khichdi recipe uses rice and mixed lentils with some basic spices. The Kadhi recipe is my adaption of the traditional Gujarati Kadhi that I have modified over the years for our taste preferences.
Since this Khichdi recipe needs sautéing of onions and spices to bring out the aromatics, it works best cooked directly in in the main pot. I would also hit the Manual button twice so that keep warm button does not go on incase you are making Khichdi way ahead of your dinner time.
Once the Instant Pot lid is on you can basically walk away until you are ready for dinner as both these recipes work well with Natural Pressure Release.
Pro Tip:
- If you have one Instant Pot, cook Kadhi on stovetop or cook it first in the Instant Pot and then cook Khichdi next.
How to make basic non-spicy khichdi:
- To make the basic Khichdi that is light and easy-to-digest, skip the spices and make it with just rice, mung daal, salt and turmeric.
- Add an extra cup of water to give it a softer consistency and serve with some ghee on top.
- Plain Khichdi makes great baby food as they are introduced to solids and also a good soft food option for the elderly or sick.
Love Khichdi? Try these recipes:
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A Popular gujarati dish prepared with yogurt and chickpea flour that is served with hot rice and lentils khichdi.
- 1 tablespoon ghee or oil
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/8 tsp hing/asafetida
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 15 curry leaves
- 1/2 cup onion diced
- 1 tsp ginger grated
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 green chillies/1/2 jalapeño minced
- 1 cup white rice love short grain rice like soon masoori
- 1 cup mixed lentils green gram/mung daal, red lentils/masoor daal, bengal gram/chana daal and split green gram/chilka mung daal
- 2 tsp salt
- 5 cups of water
- cilantro for garnish
- 1 cup plain yogurt full fat or low fat
- 3 cups water
- 2 tablespoon besan chickpea flour
- 1 tablespoon ghee or oil
- 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/8 tsp hing/asafetida optional
- 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds optional
- 2-4 cloves
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- 2 green chillies 1/2 jalapeño, minced
- 15 curry leaves
- 1 tsp salt
- 1-2 tsp sugar
- cilantro for garnish
- Rinse and drain rice and lentils.
Turn Instant Pot to saute(more) mode. Once the hot sign displays add ghee or oil. Add cumin seeds and asafetida. Add onions, curry leaves, ginger, garlic and chillies. Sauté for a minute. Add rinsed rice, lentils and salt. Mix well. Add water, give a quick stir and close Instant Pot lid with pressure valve to sealing. Set Instant Pot to Manual(Hi) 6 mins. Open after 10 min NPR. Garnish with cilantro.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together yogurt, water and besan. Keep aside.
Set Instant Pot to saute(more) mode. Once the hot sign displays add ghee or oil. Add mustard seeds and allow them to splutter. Add hing, fenugreek seeds, cloves, cinnamon stick, garlic, green chilies and curry leaves. Saute for a minute. Carefully pour the whisked yogurt mix into the Instant Pot. Add salt and sugar, mix well. Close Instant Pot with pressure valve to sealing. Set Instant Pot to soup mode for 5 mins. Open after 10 min NPR. Add more water depending on the consistency you prefer and bring the kadhi to a full boil on sauté mode. Be very carefully if you need to open it before the 10 min NPR - as the kadhi can spill out of the pressure valve. Do slow, short bursts of quick release if you need to open before the 10 minute NPR. Garnish with cilantro.
- Enjoy hot with Khichdi or plain rice.
- Note: Kadhi can be made ahead and can be reheated before serving.
Kadhi can be made ahead and can be reheated before serving.
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Author: Archana
Hey there! I am a techie turned recipe developer, cooking instructor, and food blogger. I love food and enjoy developing easy and healthy recipes for busy lifestyles. I live in New Jersey with my husband and two sons.
4waystoyummy says
I live on an island in the Pacific NW and can not find curry leaves. Is there a decent substitution? Thank you!
Archana says
You can skip curry leaves in both the recipes. They will still taste good. Add some extra cilantro for garnish in the end.
4waystoyummy says
Thank you. I got my fat Daddio’s pan today so I will be trying your apple cake recipe using the IP very soon!
Archana says
Thats great! Let me know how you like it!
Grubbing With Jess says
You make such beautiful food! Looks yummy!!
Archana says
Thank you Jess!
chefkreso says
Looks incredible, hope to find all the ingredients needed so I can prepare this flavourful dish.. 🙂
Archana says
Thank you! Let me know if you have any questions. I think the only tricky ingredient might be curry leaves, which you can skip.
Heide Horeth says
I made the apple kuchen and took it to a breakfast party this morning. Everyone loved it. Thank you! I took a photo but don’t understand how to send it…not tech savvy I’m afraid.
Archana says
Hi Heide! Thank you for your feedback. So glad that you enjoyed it. You can email me the photo at Archana.mundhe@gmail.com I would love to see it!
Deeya says
Hi Archana, thanks for the receipe, we tried it but unfortunately the yogurt curdled. Not sure how to avoid that.
Archana says
Hi Deeya! So sorry that this didn’t work out for you. What kind of yogurt did you use? And did you set the Instant Pot to ‘Low ‘pressure’?
person756 says
Did all of these things exactly, but Kadhi still separated. Could it be because I did 15 min NPR instead of 10?
Archana says
Extra NPR should not cause it to separate. I have one more cooking option for you to try, Use the soup button and reduce the time to 5 minutes. Then do 10 minute NPR.
Nikita says
Is it one cup of each lentil or a total one cup of each lentil mixed?
Archana says
1 cup mixed.
Nidhi Shah says
Hey Where’s the video?
Archana says
Hi Nidhi, Sorry this recipe does not have a video.
amulya ravilla says
Hi Archana
Love this recipe .Made this tonight and it was a hit.thank you so much I love all your work.
Archana says
You are welcome! Thank you for the feedback
SP says
What changes would I have to make were I to use brown basmati rice?
Archana says
Increase the pressure cooktime to 22 minutes.