MURGIR MANGSHOR KHICHURI

For the past two months I had been wanting to share this recipe with my readers; it was just not happening. Manghshor Khichuri / Rice & Lentil Hotchpotch with meat is definitely not a family thing; our family always have prepared vegetarian khichuri and served it with semi dry vegetable preparations & fries, fritters. Only in the recent years, I have known Khichuri can be made non-vegetarian too. Many Indian & South Asian Homes prepare this wholesome meal as part of their lunch or dinner deal. The good thing is we do not need to cook anything else if we are doing this Bengali style, gluten free, non-vegetarian rice & lentil hotchpotch with chicken MURGIR MANGSHOR KHICHURI.

I am feeling too lethargic since morning. Somedays I feel such, reason can be as stupid as my bowel system not working well for two days. This happens with idle brains. Why is it so when I ate bread & buns everyday, my weight was less than now when I am not eating them for a week. I will however eat a coffee cream stuffed bread bun with my tea now. Off course, the dry cake & "modon kotkoti" biscuits caused this weight gain. They are sensuous addiction, there are so many of such loves I sacrifice each day; puff pastries, sugar toast that the island make or the varieties that come from Bangladesh; Karachi Cookies of Hyderabad. Yet weight management never makes friends with me. May be because I ate a bit of rice with hilsa curry or bit more of millet than usual. Frustration crawls towards a food loving soul.

Life to me cannot be a dry toast and bowls of salad with plain yogurt every day. Neither, frustration be allowed to breed. A sixteen year old girl, popular in social media commits suicide. Do not I feel like slapping her? Did you think suicide will get you more popularity post death; your death will be romanticised, speculated, given an honourable status? I really want to ask her. At any given point, why cannot we think we live better than crores of our fellow beings? Because I am so unable to eat clean and exercise hard to get a happier self, I find happiness in other things. I wake up to my indoor plants every morning. They are arranged in the bedroom window pane in the time being for some growth. I got a tulsi plant again yesterday. Changed the set up outside our main door. My micro mini garden is much damaged due to continuous rain, wind, fungal infections. They do not flower; yet I do not lose hope; one expires, I keep adding to the family.

There is no stopping to live until life naturally comes to an end. Then, I have my kitchen kingdom which I keep busy all the time; this not at all a family dish with chicken, rice, red lentil MURGIR MANGSHOR KHICHURI is also a product of my kitchen. I have seen shares made around but cooked it using my own ideas.

INGREDIENTS :

CHICKEN : 500GM MEDIUM CUT
RICE : 1/3 COFFEE MUG [ANY NORMAL VARIETY, I USED PONNI]
RED LENTIL / MASOOR DAL : 1/2 COFFEE MUG
CHOPPED TOMATO : 1 SMALL TEA CUP
SLICED ONION : 1 MEDIUM CUP
SLITTED GREEN CHILLI : 3-4
GINGER PASTE : 2TSP
GARLIC PASTE : 1TBSP
TURMERIC POWDER : 1TSP
RED CHILLI POWDER : 1/2TSP
CUMIN POWDER : 1TSP
CORIANDER POWDER : 1TSP
LEMON JUICE : 3-4TBSP
CINNAMON STICK : 1 INCH STICK TWO OR THREE
GREEN CARDAMOM : 2-3
CLOVE : 2-3
CUMIN SEED : 1/4TSP
BAY LEAF : 1+1
DRY RED CHILLI : 2-3 HALVED
SALT : AS REQUIRED
OIL : 4TBSP + 1TBSP

PROCEDURE : 

Take the rice and red lentil / masoor dal in a heavy bottomed vessel and wash thoroughly. Add about 3 coffee mugs of water and keep soaked for an hour.

Wash the chicken pieces, boneless or bone on; drain the water and marinate with little salt, turmeric and lemon juice. Keep aside for an hour.

In a bowl prepare a spice paste with the ginger garlic pastes, little salt & turmeric, the cumin & coriander powders, red chilli powder adding 2tbsp of water.

On one burner, put the vessel with rice & dal and cover 80%. Cook at minimal heat, stir every 5 minutes, add little water if required to keep it runny. When half 70% boiled, add little salt, turmeric & the washed and slitted green chillies. Once done, switch off the gas top.

In the smaller burner, place a wok. Heat 3tbsp oil and temper with a bay leaf, the cinnamon sticks, green cardamoms & cloves.

Add the washed, sliced onions and stir fry till golden brown.

Add the spice paste now and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the washed and chopped tomatoes and stir cook until they melt.

Add the marinated chicken and fold in well. Cover cook at minimal heat for 10 minutes.

Open cover and check if water has released or not. Add a medium tea cup of water if otherwise. 

Fold in well and cover cook again at minimal heat for 12-15 minutes, checking in between.

Add the cooked rice and lentil now and fold in everything well. Add a coffee mug of water, mix and cook at low heat for 5 minutes or so. Switch off the gas stove.

In another pan, heat 1tbsp of oil, temper with a bay leaf, cumin seeds and halved dry red chillies, add it to the khichdi / hotchpotch / khichudi and fold in well.

We are done! I served it with "chak chak aloo bhaja or beguni" / ringed potato fries & batter fried egg plants. You can just manage with "papor bhaja."