Enjoying The Monsoon Rains With Bangali Khichuri....

This photo is taken by my brother-in-law.

Monsoon rains have started in India. It came a couple of days back and people are happy that the rains are finally here. By the end of August they are going to be tired of the incessant rains, but as of now the blessed rains are being welcomed and enjoyed by everyone. Ah the fun of getting drenched in the first rain of the season!

Coming of the monsoon, a word which comes from Arabic word 'mausam' (meaning weather) is an important event in India. Starting from the ministers deliberating in the Parliament to the common man on the road to  the farmer working on his patch of land, everyone eagerly awaits the monsoon rains. Agrarian India's economy depends on the arrivals of the rains at the right time. If the River Ganga is the riverine lifeline to millions of Indians, then monsoon is the seasonal one.

Apart from the practical dependence, Indian poets wax lyrical verses about the monsoon rains, the pregnant clouds, the overcast sky, the damp smell of the earth after the first rains, the rain kissed paddy fields, the rain washed blade of glass, the young girl getting soaked in the rain, the river's belly swelling with the rains...it goes on and on . It is all over Indian literature, cinema, music, sometimes I think it has more mentions and is more celebrated than the king of all seasons-- spring.

As a child I remember reading about the mechanism of the monsoon winds, how the sea breezes are created due to low pressure in the Indian subcontinent and how wind comes in from the sea which has higher pressure. Somehow the mechanism always fascinated me, so did the power of these winds to change an overheated landmass to a fertile, verdant one.

Image source: http://www.doyouhike.net

One of the most popular dishes that we Bengalis love to eat during the rainy season is khichuri--a rice and lentil mishmash. Sometimes we put in veggies, sometimes we do not. We serve this with some fries/fritters. For this month's World on a plate the theme is traditional grains/pasta salad. Now where I come from a salad is thinly sliced tomatoes and cucumbers with a sprinkling of rock salt. So after racking my brains over what salad to make I decided to make khichuri, nearest to grain salad that I could think of.

Ingredients:

1 cup Basmati rice [Clean the rice throughly till the water runs clear and soak the rice in water for twenty to thirty minutes.]

1 cup Red Lentil [Soak for at least half an hour]

Couple of green chillies, seeded or de-seeded according to heat tolerance

Couple of juicy tomatoes, chopped

Half a cup of peas

One fourth cup of fresh coconut, chopped

One large onion, thinly sliced

Whole garam masalas-- 2 to 3 cloves, cardamom, bay leaves, whole black peppers...one inch bark of cinnamon...slightly crushed...

2 table spoons of sunflower or any other oil

1 tea spoon of haldi/turmeric
1 tea spoon of red chilli
2 tea spoons of ginger paste
1 table spoon of garam masala power
2 table spoon of dhaniya/coriander powder
1 table spoon of sugar

1 tea spoon of ghee

Salt to taste

Method:

In a heavy bottomed pan, add one table spoon of oil, add the chopped onion and fry till the onion is translucent. Then add the  soaked red lentil, the bay leaves and the green chillies, fry the lentils for the couple of minutes before adding the soaked rice. Mix everything well and fry for the couple of minutes till the rice grains turn truculent. At this point add about 3 to 4 cups of water and let it come to a boil. Once the rice and lentil are almost done, this will take 15 to 20 mins, add the peas and continue cooking. Add more water if needed. Once the rice and lentil are cooked through, lower the heat.

In a frying pan, add the remaining oil, add the whole garam masalas and the tomatoes. Then add the haldi, red chilli and coriander powder. Fry for a couple of minutes, then add the chopped coconut pieces and fry till the coconut pieces turn light golden brown. Then add the ginger paste and fry some more. At the very end add the sugar and salt according to taste. Now add this masala to the rice and lentil and mix well. Then add the ghee and garam masala powder to the rice, mix well and turn off the heat. Let the rice rest for about 10 mins before serving.

This is usually eaten hot, but you can also have this cold. I know several people who loves cold khichuri. For added spice we usually have this with a pickle or chutney.