Does Your Khichdi Turn Too Squishy? Avoid THESE 6 Mistakes And Make It Perfect

Khichdi, comfort food at its best has found a home in Indian households for centuries while always providing a relief on low and lazy days or days of bad health. This ancient dish is the very definition of simplicity; rice with lentils and spices in all sorts of combinations that nourish the body and soul. Khichdi is the best solution to renew your spirit and act as a warm hug served in a bowl. But sometimes, this quintessential food can be lacking or turn out to be an unappetising mush.

This unfortunate situation can be attributed to a combination of variables which can affect the balance of textures and flavours of khichdi. Here, we've listed some common mistakes that you should avoid to make your khichdi perfect.

Mistakes To Avoid While Making Khichdi

Select Right Type Of Rice

The type of rice used significantly impacts khichdi's texture. Short-grain rice breaks down faster, yielding a softer dish while basmati or long-grain rice retains a firmer texture due to its starch content.

Avoid Too Much Water

The water-to-grain ratio matters a lot in achieving perfect khichdi. Too much water will lead to overcooked grains that have lost their structure. A good, balanced ratio is must but adjust predisposed on your rice-lentil mixture and desired consistency.

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Don't Skip Soaking

Soaking rice and lentils for a period of 20-30 minutes has been shown to reduce cooking time dramatically as well as cook the food more evenly. In addition, not soaking will lead to longer boil times which will cause grains to break and the food to reach an undesirable, overly boiled stage.

How to make perfect flavourful khichdi? (Image Credits: Canva)

Cook The Lentils Well

Not all dals are equal in cooking time. Moong dal can soften very quickly but toor dal takes a bit longer. If you cook them together, they won't have the same texture. Choose dals with similar cooking times.

Don't Use High Heat While Cooking

When you speed up the cooking of khichdi by using high heat, you'll get uneven evaporation which means overcooked edges and an undercooked centre. Instead, use a medium flame and let it simmer gently. This way, it will absorb the water more evenly.

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Keep It At Rest Before Serving

Khichdi can better benefit from resting for 5 or 10 minutes after it is cooked. The steam can dissipate a little bit and the grains can firm up. If you serve khichdi immediately, the steam will be locked in and there is a very good chance that the khichdi will feel quite wet and mushy.