A tale of India’s khichdis

In 2018, khichdi was rumoured to become India’s national dish. The popularity and diversity of the humble, nutritious comfort-on-a-platter dish among Indians inspired Jaipur-based food consultants and sisters Ratika Bhargava and Riccha Khetan to document the different khichdis of India. The result is Khichdi: Simple, Soulful & Soothing, a book of over 60 kinds of khichdis, including recipes by contributors such as Vicky Ratnani, Anahita Dhondy, Saby Gorai, Kalyan Karmakar and Saee Koranne Khandekar, among others. The duo has been directing the proceeds from the sale of the book towards different NGOs and charities, shared Bhargava. “Every state and region has its own kind of khichdi. For example, bajra khichdi in Rajasthan, masoor dal khichdi in West Bengal, laal channa khichdi in Punjab, black rice khichdi in Manipur and more. Khichdi is what binds India together. So, we decided to document it.”