Saag Vali Khichri

Servings: 6
Ingredients:

1/2 c  Mung beans, whole
5 1/2 c  -Water
1/2 c  Rice
1 sl Ginger, 1/4\'
1 lb Spinach, fresh
1 1/2 ts Salt
4 ts Ghi
1/8 ts Hing; (asafetida)
1 ts Cumin seeds, whole
1    Onion
1 ts Cumin, ground
2 ts Coriander, ground
1/8 ts Cayenne
Pepper, black

———————————GARNISHES———————————
Lemon juice
Butter
Cilantro

Pick over, wash, and drain the mung beans. Wash and drain the rice. Wash
the spinach well and separate the leaves. Peel the onion, cut in half
lengthwise, and slice into fine half-rounds.
Put the mung beans in a heavy 4-quart pot. Add water and bring to a boil
over a medium-high flame. Cover, lower heat, and simmer two mintes. Turn
off the heat and let the pot sit, covered, for an hour. Bring the water
to a boil again. Add the rice and the ginger and bring to a simmer.
Cover, turn heat to low, and cook gently for one hour. Stir occasionally
during this period. Now add the spinach and salt. Bring to a simmer.
Cover and cook gently for 1/2 hour, stirring now and then to avoid
sticking. Add a little hot water if the porridge seems too thick.
Heat the ghi in a #5 skillet over a medium flame. When hot, put in the
hing. Two seconds later, put in the whole cumin seeds. Five seconds
later, put in the onion. Stir and fry until the onion begins to turn
brown at the edges. Add the ground cumin, coriander, and cayenne. Stir
and fry for one minute. Empty the contents of the skillet into the rice
and bean pot. Stir. Cover and cook for five more minutes. Discard the
ginger. Sprinkle with pepper. Serve in individual bowls with some or all
of the garnishes.

Madhur Jaffrey\’s
World-of-the-East Vegetarian Cooking
Posted by Sam Waring

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