Bhuna Khichuri — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

A rich, slow-cooked one-pot dish of rice and lentils with aromatic spices, ghee, and caramelized onions — Bangladesh's ultimate rainy-day comfort food.

Ingredients

1.5 cups basmati rice, soaked
1/2 cup moong dal, soaked
3 tbsp ghee
2 onions, thinly sliced
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
2 bay leaves
4 green cardamom pods
4 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp garam masala
2 green chillies
3 cups water
Salt to taste

Instructions

1 Heat ghee and fry onions until deep brown and caramelized, about 12 min. Remove half for garnish.
2 Add whole spices to remaining onions, fry 1 min until fragrant.
3 Add ginger-garlic paste, turmeric, cumin, and green chillies. Cook 2 min.
4 Add drained rice and dal. Stir to coat in spices for 3 min.
5 Add water, salt, and garam masala. Bring to a boil, then cover tightly and simmer on lowest heat for 25 min.
6 Let rest covered 10 min. Fluff and top with reserved fried onions.

Did You Know?

In Bangladesh, the sound of rain is practically synonymous with khichuri — families immediately plan to cook it when monsoon rains begin.