Moong Dal Khichdi

About Bisi Huggi At Shankara Matha

 

Call it huggi

Call it pongal
Call it khichdi
This dish is an all India culinary dish.

 And in India, do kism ke log hotey hain, Ek jo khichdi ko pyaar se khatey hain, Aur ek woh jo khichdi sey door bhagtey hain.

The reaction to this basic all India dish is volatile. Some love it. Some hate it. I belong to category one. I simply love it. Bisi bisi huggi…with a dash of thuppa…and some tomato gojju on the side…Sluurrrp

Here is how we make Moong dal khichdi

•  Dry roast ½ cup moong dal to make it just warm (In kannada we would say uguru bhecchagey)
• Add to 1 cup of rice. Wash. Soak in water for half hour.
• In a thick bottomed pan heat ¼ cup of oil. Fry to splutter… Jeera, 5 peppercorns, 2 green chillies, ginger slivers and haldi
• Add 4 cups of water and bring to boil. Add the soaked moong dal and rice. Add salt to taste. Cook till done. (Or cook in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles)
• Optional: add some ghee and ¼ cup desiccated coconut and ½ cup milk
• Stir and serve piping hot moong dal khichdi with spicy chatni or sweet sour tomato gojju
• There are some who add cooked veggies, onions or peas. But I prefer it plain and simple and hot.

 In Dhanur Masa, in December, temples in South India begin puja early and the Arati called Maha-Mangalarati is performed at dawn. On our trip to Bangalore this time we visited the morning aarati at Shankarmatha in Gandhibazaar.

 We stayed at Rajarajeswari Nagar. So we get up at 4 so that six of us can be ready – bath and all – and leave home at 5.30 AM to reach Shankara Matha in time.

The car has to be woken up too!
This is how Shankar Matha looked as the first rays of dawn lit up the sky.

 The cold mist,

 fragrance of burning camphor,
 quiet confidence of the regulars,
 ringing of bells
 kids quietly running across the large courtyard
 mmm… the experience is out of this world.

After darshan we join the line to receive Prasad. I stretch out my palms and the purohit places on it a green banana leaf and says ‘bhadra’ (careful). He says that to everyone in the line. The next purohit then drops onto the leaf a large ladle full of steaming hot ‘see-huggi’ (khichdi sweetened with jaggery).
            Oooh! The huggi is verry verry hot. Now I know why the warning – ‘bhadra’!!

 We sit on steps; we squat on the green; we stand leaning against a wall; together we relish our share of the Prasad – moong dal khichdi sweetened with jaggery.

 ...

Time stood still.
It was an amazingly good way to begin the day.

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In silence I feel His presence.
I wish we didn't make so much noise in temples.

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