Bhavna
Quinoa Lentil (daal) Khichdi is one of my favorite to cook often as I don’t need to cook any other sides to go with it. It’s quick One pot recipe that satisfies your hunger, tastebuds and nutrition. This recipe is vegan and gluten free as well and perfect for many other diet restrictions.
A complete protein and fantastic wheat-free, rice-free alternative, diabetic friendly, the demand for quinoa has risen sharply in recent years due to many health benefits of quinoa. There are many benefits of quinoa nutrition, such as being high in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Quinoa is thought to help stave off a number of health conditions. Quinoa is relatively high in antioxidants compared with other grains. Botanically, quinoa is not a true grain. Quinoa has been cultivated for thousands of years. It can be prepared in as a little as 15 minutes. Quinoa has a naturally bitter coating called saponin that acts as an insecticide. There are many ways in which quinoa can be included in your diet.
I thought of pairing Quinoa with my favorite lentil yellow mung dal(Split skinless Green gram) to enrich the benefits. Lentils are an excellent source of molybdenum and folate. They are a very good source of dietary fiber, copper, phosphorus and manganese. Additionally they are a good source of iron, protein, vitamin B1, pantothenic acid, zinc, potassium and vitamin B6.
And what to say about kale? We all know many benefits of kale. And you can replace kale with spinach easily in this recipe. But I like little strong flavor of kale in this recipe. While kale is a better source for some essential vitamins and minerals — including manganese, copper, calcium, and vitamins A, C, B6, and K — spinach is a richer source of folate and an equally good source of iron and fibre. And both foods are very healthy choices! But since lentil provide enough folate, I usually prefer to use Kale for this recipe.
Quinoa Lentil Khichdi
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp canola oil or your choice of cooking oil
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 inch ginger , minced
- 1 medium onion , diced
- 2 medium carrots , scrubbed and sliced into 1/2" coins (I chopped all my vegetables in the food processor to fool my family... good thing they like thick puree soups)
- Feel free to add some of your favorite veggies like green peas , beans and so on..
- 2 tsp garam masala
- ¼ tsp Turmeric Powder (Haldi)
- ¼ tsp Red chili powder or cayenne pepper
- 2 bay leaves , if available
- 4 cups water or use half water and half vegetable stock or broth to enhance the flavor
- 1 diced tomato
- 1 cup dry lentils of your choice , I used split moong dal ), well rinsed and drained
- ½ cup quinoa , well rinsed and drained
- 2 cups fresh Kale , or Spinach thick stalks removed
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Prepare all the ingredients to simplify the actual cooking.
- Heat the oil in a large pot or the pressure cooker pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, ginger carrots and saute until slightly softened (about 5-10 minutes).
- 3. Stir in the garam masala, haldi, cayenne pepper and bay leaves.
- 4. Add the water, tomatoes, salt, lentils and quinoa and bring the stew to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for at least 20 minutes... time for the quinoa and lentils to absorb lots of broth. If using pressure cooker, cover and lock the cooker. Hear about 4 whistles.
- I use pressure cooker to reduce cooking time and hear only 4 whistles, about 8 minutes and the stew is ready.
- Just before serving, stir in the kale and toss for a minute or two until the kale has wilted and serve.
Notes
You may like my other Quinoa recipe videos below.
