Prayagraj Kumbh Khichdi Simple Pilgrim Meal

Method

1. 1

   Wash rice and dal together: Wash rice and moong dal together in a bowl, changing the water 3 times.

2. 2

   Cook together: Place washed rice and dal in a pot with 5 cups water and turmeric. Bring to a full boil.

3. 3

   Reduce and cook: Reduce to medium-low. Cook stirring every 5 minutes for 20 minutes until the rice and dal are fully cooked and beginning to merge into a unified porridge.

4. 4

   Mash slightly: Stir vigorously — the rice and dal will partially mash together into a flowing, unified khichdi.

5. 5

   Add salt: Add salt. Stir.

6. 6

   Heat ghee: In a small pan heat 3 tbsp ghee. Add cumin seeds — wait for them to crackle and darken.

7. 7

   Add dried red chilli and asafoetida: Add dried red chilli. Darken 10 seconds. Add asafoetida. Stir 5 seconds.

8. 8

   Pour the entire ghee tempering: Pour all the hot ghee with its spices over the cooked khichdi.

9. 9

   Stir through: Stir the ghee tempering through the khichdi.

10. 10

    Serve hot: Serve in deep bowls. The khichdi should be flowing, fragrant with ghee and cumin, and deeply simple. A spoonful of additional ghee on top is traditional.

11. 11

    Note: The Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj — held every 12 years at the Triveni Sangam where the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers meet — is the largest human gathering on earth, attended by 40 to 50 million pilgrims at its peak. The langar kitchens set up by religious organizations serve this simple khichdi free to millions of pilgrims daily during the 45-day mela. The extreme simplicity of the Kumbh khichdi — just rice, dal, ghee and salt — is its defining quality as a sattvic, inclusive meal accessible to all pilgrims regardless of background.