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Khichdi in a Jar – Mixed Vegetable Kitchari Mix for Instant Pot or Saucepan. Easy Lentil Rice Soup with Veggies. Gift the jar full of lentils,, rice and spices. Empty into a pot with veggies of choice. Easy Weekday Dinner. Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free Nut-free Recipe. Jump to Recipe
Tis the time to wrap up some fun gifts and this one is a must. When I made this jar, I thought, hey its khichdi, it is a super simple recipe. People can possibly just throw it all together at home within minutes. But when its right there in the jar, it is as simple as putting it in the instant pot (pressure cooker) or saucepan with water and just a short wait to a fabulous meal.
Khichdi or Kitchari is dal and rice risotto like preparation that usually is very lightly spiced and served as light meal when you are sick or just to give the tummy a break with a simple nourishing meal. The basic version is slightly bland with just 1 or 2 spices and kept so to be a light meal. You can add different spices, some vegetables, tomato etc to make it a hearty meal. The basic version is in my first book, This recipe is adapted from the basic version. Also see my hearty green moong and brown rice version on the blog. Khichdi is generally overcooked to be more of a mash for easy digestion. Cook it for less time for the grains and lentils to retain shape and a few minutes longer for a mash.
This bottled up kitchari makes a great gift. You will want to make and eat lots of kitchari after the big holiday meals and the jar makes it a 5 minute job. Empty contents in an Instant pot which you may have received as a gift, or to a saucepan, add whatever veggies you like, add water and done! Serve as is or with some chutneys or papadum/crackers.
I pack the spices in a separate pouch and then add to the gift jar. This allows the cook to change up the recipe, wash the rice and lentils if they wish etc. If the spices are layered into the jar, then washing the rice/lentils is not possible. Use other spices, lentils, rice/grains for variations and have these jars around for quick meals! See instructions to make khichdi directly with the ingredients if you dont want to jar them. You can also make this into a stew/curry, use some non dairy milk along with the water.
More Jar Gifts from the blog!
Sweet:
- Cowboy Cookies in a Jar.
- Chocolate Pumpkin Cake mix in a jar.
- Mexican Hot chocolate Mix in a Jar. GF
- Coconut Macaroons Mix in a Jar. GF
Savory:
- Sriracha Orange Peanut Quinoa Granola. Savory, sweet and spicy GF
- Coconut Chutney Mix and Dosa Crepe Mix in a Jar
- Dal tadka- Indian spiced Lentil Soup mix in a jar. GF
If you make this recipe, do let me know how it turned out! Tag me on social media #veganricha
Troubleshoot: Khichdi tends to be a bit overcooked traditionally. Cook for 2 mins to 6 minutes on Manual in Instant pot based on your preference of texture.
The pictured khichdi was cooked for 5 minutes after alternate tempering method. The tempering process preheats the pan helping it come to pressure quickly. To reduce that time and hence reduce chances of overcooking. Bring the water + lentils to a boil on saute mode, then add the veggies, spices, salt and close the lid.
Khichdi in a Jar
Ingredients
For the Jar
- 3/4 cup long grain white basmati rice
- 3/4 cup quick cooking lentils such as Red lentils, , (I generally use half moong dal and half red lentils)
For the Spices
- 3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 to 3 cloves
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 tablespoon onion flakes
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala, , more if you like it spicier
- 3/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 or 2 Indian bay leaves
To Cook
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 1 to 2 cups chopped vegetables
- water, (depends on method of cooking,, see instructions)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- cilantro, lemon juice and pepper flakes, for garnish
Instructions
Assemble the Jar (See below to make directly.)
- Layer the rice and lentils.
- Toast the cumin seeds and cloves on stovetop over medium heat until cumin seeds change color slightly. This step is optional. Toasted cumin seeds add a deeper tastier flavor. Cool completely.
- Fold the toasted cumin, cloves, and the rest of the spices into a parchment paper pouch, and add it to the jar. Close the lid. Store for up to 3 months.
Instructions to make the khichdi on the jar
- Wash the lentils and rice, (optional).
- For the Instant Pot - Heat 1 teaspoon oil using saute mode, and add the contents of the spice pack. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, then add 3.5 to 4 cups of water (depends on your preference of consistency of the stew), the lentils, rice, tomato, salt, and any veggies that you are using. Close the lid and cook on high pressure for 2 to 4 minutes (4 for Indian khichdi-style mash consistency). For a regular rice and dal style kitchari, pressure cook on low pressure for 3 mins. Release the pressure after 5 mins. Fluff lightly.
- For Saucepan - Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a saucepan on medium heat, and add the contents of the spice pack. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, then add 5 cups of water (depends on your preference of consistency of the stew), the lentils, rice, tomato, salt, and any veggies that you are using. Cover partially and cook for 22 minutes, then check the consistency and doneness and continue to cook more until done.
- Garnish with cilantro, lemon juice and pepper flakes and serve as-is or with chutneys or papadums/crackers.
To make Directly
- Heat 1 teaspoon oil on sauté mode in the Instant Pot or in a saucepan on medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and cloves and cook until fragrant. Add bay leaves, turmeric and garam masala and mix for a few seconds. Add the rest of the ingredients, water, salt and cook according to the jar instructions above.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Amazing recipe! I feel to share a story that just happened.
My husband and I’s car broke down 2 days ago in the middle of nowhere in southern Colorado as we were heading south. We were lucky enough to reach a tiny town and find a cheap motel room before our car stopped. The motel happens to be owned by two young Indian men who have been very flexible with us since no towing have been able, so far, to bring us back home to the front range (tonight will be our 3rd night here). Since we were supposed to be gone for a long road trip, we had prepared many dry ingredients mix for the instapot (mainly from your website because we love your recipes so much!) so tonight, since we had just ran out of our fresh pre made food, we decided to prepare Kitchari in our hotel room. So we decided to offer some to one of the Indian owner who had been so kind and pleasant with us. This being said, I was nervous since I had never made this recipe and cooking Indian food for Indian people doesn’t seem as easy as cooking for anyone else..!
So our new friend came to our room enthusiastic about the aromas that he could already smell from the outside. We filled up his bowl with freshly made kitchari, a lemon wedge, gongura pickles and cilantro. He went away with it and came back telling us how amazing it is, and how it is exactly like his mother’s touch, that it tasted exactly like his childhood, and complimented me, and he was so happy and grateful. We were blown away and so touched!! On top of that, he’s a cook himself! So big big compliment!
Thank you Richa for all the magic that your recipes bring into the world!
All our love and gratitude 💛
This is such a wonderful story! I am so happy you made it so well!!!
Hello! Thank you for this awesome gift idea – I am so excited to make 10-15 jars them as part of a gift basket for friends, teachers and neighbors! Just a quick question about storing the spices separately in the jar – is there any particular reason why they need to be in a separate jar or sealed ziplock baggie? My idea is to use empty single serve hummus / guacamole cups that we have saved, put the spice mixture in there and then nestle that in the top of the 16oz jar, which will obviously be sealed. Can you see any problems with that or will the spice flavors fade too quickly? Let me know what you think. Thanks again – I love your recipes!
It’s for being able to wash the rice and lentils. People often wash them before using esp rice. And you won’t be able to wash if there are spices mixed in . You can get smaller boxes you can add to the jars
I originally made this recipe to be given as a gift but some days later thought I’d try it out to make sure everything was fine. It was. Very tasty. For my vegetables I used just what I had easily to hand: peas and cauliflower. I used red lentils and mung beans and also added some preserved lemons at the end. It was delicious. So now I’ll make another gift jar ready for the giving. Thanks so much.
Wonderful!
I originally made this recipe to be given as a gift but some days later thought I’d try it out to make sure everything was fine. It was. Very tasty. For my vegetables I used just what I had easily to hand: peas and cauliflower. I used red lentils and mung beans and also added some preserved lemons at the end. It was delicious. So now I’ll make another gift jar ready for the giving. Thanks so much.
Wonderful!