This Bajra Khichdi recipe is a warm and nutritious Rajasthani style dish prepared with pearl millet, moong dal, vegetables, and some basic spices in an Instant Pot Pressure cooker.
Bajra is the Hindi word for Pearl Millet. This Bajra Khichdi tastes really good with vegetables and you will get a slightly chewy texture from the bajra. It is heaty in nature so it is good to consume in limits and best when consumed in winters. This Bajra khichdi recipe is one of the staple food in the regions of Rajasthan, India, and great for weight loss.
You can serve this bajra ki khichdi recipe with yogurt or can be eaten as it is. I prefer eating with Kadhi. Also with some pickle and papad on the side too!
Other healthy Khichdi recipes to try from my blog are Vegetable Khichdi, Palak Khichdi, Quinoa Khichdi, Moong Dal Khichdi, Pongal.
These days you can easily find millets in Indian grocery stores or Amazon. I found broken pearl millets (Shastha foods brand) packet which takes very little time for cooking.
In case you don't find broken pearl millet no worries take ½ cup pearl millet (bajra) in a grinder jar. Grind the bajra coarsely using the pulse option. Some grains will be crushed and some won’t be, so that's ok.
Now take coarsely ground bajra and add water to cover it and let it sit for a minute. The fine husk particles will be seen floating on the top of the water. After that discard the water slowly from the bowl. Repeat this process twice.
More healthy Millet recipes Little millet lemon rice, Kodo Millet Pulao, Little Millet Upma
What are Millets?
Millets are Ancient Grains. Mankind has known their nutrition value for centuries. They are naturally gluten–free. Millet can also be used as a healthier alternative to rice, as well as in salad recipes or as a side dish.
Pearl Millet is rich in essential compounds like protein, fiber, phosphorous, magnesium, and iron. Due to its rich composition of minerals and proteins, Pearl Millet has many health benefits.- Source
Pearl millet is very powerful in controlling diabetes. Because of its high fiber content, it tends to digest slowly and release glucose at a slower rate as compared to other foods. This helps in maintaining healthy blood sugar levels for a long period of time
Pearl Millet in Indian Languages
- Hindi / Punjabi / Bengali / Odia – Bajra
- Kannada – Sajje
- Marathi/Gujarati – Bajri
- Telugu – Sajja
- Tamil – Kambu
Also check my Kids Lunch Box Series Posts
Bajra Khichdi + Yogurt + Dates
How to Make Bajra Khichdi in Instant Pot
Firstly, soak broken and cleaned bajra in water for at least one hour.
Press SAUTE mode (Normal) on Instant Pot. Add ghee or oil to the POT. Note: Tastes better with Ghee
Once POT is hot, add in the cumin seeds, asafetida, ginger, green chilies. Saute for 20 secs.
Then add the mixed vegetables, cook for a minute.
Then add soaked bajra, split moong dal (no need to soak the lentil just rinse it and add it to the pressure cooker), turmeric powder, coriander powder, water, salt. Mix well.
Furthermore, close the lid on the pot. Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (High Pressure) and timer to 8 minutes.
Once the pot beeps, Wait for NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE (NPR).
Once the pressure has released, open the lid, add garam masala powder, chopped spinach (palak), cilantro, and mix the khichdi well.
**Note: If khichdi is not mushy or if it's too dry then select saute mode and add an additional ½ cup of water and cook for another minute.
Instant Pot Bajra Khichdi is ready, serve with yogurt, raita or kadhi.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method
- Soak bajra in water for at least one hour.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of ghee or oil in a pressure cooker and once it's hot add in the cumin (jeera), asafetida, ginger, green chilies. Saute for 20 secs.
- Add the mixed vegetables and cook for a minute.
- Then add soaked bajra, split moong dal (no need to soak the lentil just rinse it and add it to the pressure cooker), turmeric powder, coriander powder, water, salt. Mix well.
- Close the lid and put the whistle weight on. Cook for 3-4 whistles on medium flame and turn off the gas.
- Once the pressure has released completely, open the lid, add garam masala powder, spinach, coriander leaves and mix well.
- If the Khichdi is not mushy or if it's too dry then add ½ cup of water and adjust the consistency of the khichdi.
- Masala bajra khichdi recipe is ready, serve with yogurt, raita, or kadhi.
Tips & Variations for Rajasthani Bajra Khichdi
- To prepare this khichdi, soak the millets for at least 1 hour in water. This step is mandatory.
- The water ratio in this recipe is 4 times the millets and lentils together which makes a soft, porridge-like consistency for the final dish.
- I have used split moong dal without skin. But you can use split moong dal with skin as well.
- In addition, replace pearl millet with other grains like foxtail millet, Kodo millet, quinoa, rice for few more variations of this khichdi.
- You can also use seasonal vegetables and green leafy of your choice like pumpkin, potatoes, sweet potatoes, methi leaves.
- While making Rajasthani Bajra Khichdi with vegetables, cut vegetables into large chunks because of increased pressure cooking time.
If you like this, then checkout more Instant Pot Lentil recipes below
- Dal Tadka – Dal prepared with split pigeon peas lentils, assorted spices
- Green Lentil Soup – lentil soup made with green lentils, carrots, celery, red bell pepper, and Indian spices
- Spinach Dal / Palak Dal – Dhal cooked with spinach leaves
- Panchmel dal – dal prepared with five varieties of lentils
Bajra Khichdi Recipe | How to make Bajra Khichdi
Equipment
Ingredients
Measuring cup used 1 cup = 250 ml
- ½ cup Pearl millet (Bajra) broken and clean
- ½ cup split yellow moong (Split Green Moong Dal/Lentils also can be used)
- 2 cups Mix Vegetables chopped (carrot, green peas, broccoli, cauliflower)
- 2 cups Spinach (Palak) chopped
- 1 teaspoon Ginger minced
- 1 tablespoon Ghee or oil
- Salt to taste
- 4 cups Water
- 2 tablespoon Cilantro (coriander leaves)
Spices:
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds(Jeera)
- 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
- a pinch Asafetida (Hing)
Instructions
Instant Pot Method:
- Soak broken and cleaned bajra in water for one hour.
- Press SAUTE mode(Normal) on Instant Pot. Add ghee or oil in to the POT.Note:Tastes better with Ghee
- Once POT is hot add in the Cumin(Jeera), Asafetida, ginger, green chillies. Saute for 20 secs.
- Then add mixed vegetables, cook for a minute.
- Then add soaked bajra, split moong dal (lentil) (no need to soak the lentil just rinse it and add it to the pressure cooker),turmeric powder, coriander powder, water, salt.Mix well.
- Close the lid on the pot, and turn pressure valve to SEALING position.Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (High Pressure) and set timer to 8 minutes.
- Once the pressure has released, open the lid, garam masala powder ,chopped spinach(palak) ,cilantro and mix khichdi well.Note: If khichdi is not mushy or too dry then select saute mode and add additional ½ cup of water and cook for another minute.
- Bajra Vegetable Khichdi is ready, serve with yogurt, raita or kadhi.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method:
- Soak bajra in water for one hour.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of ghee or oil in a pressure cooker and Once its hot add in the Cumin (jeera), asafetida, ginger, green chillies. Saute for 20 secs.
- Then add mixed vegetables, cook for a minute.
- Then add soaked bajra, split moong dal (lentil) (no need to soak the lentil just rinse it and add it to the pressure cooker),turmeric powder, coriander powder, water, salt.Mix well.
- Close the lid and put the whistle weight on. Cook for 3-4 whistles on medium flame and turn off the gas.
- Once the pressure has released completely, open the lid, add garam masala powder ,spinach ,cilantro/coriander leaves and Mix the mixture well.
- If khichdi is not mushy or too dry then add ½ cup of water and adjust to khichdi consistency.
- Bajra Khichdi is ready, serve with yogurt, raita or kadhi.
Notes
Tips & Variations:
- To prepare the pearl bajra khichdi, soak the millet for at least 1 hour in water. This step is mandatory.
- The water ratio in this recipe is 4 times the millets and lentils together which makes a soft, porridge-like consistency for the final dish.
- I have used split moong dal without skin. You can use split green moong dal as well.
- You can also prepare the same khichdi with other grains like foxtail millet, Kodo millet,quinoa, rice
- You can use seasonal vegetables and green leafy of your choice like pumpkin, potatoes, sweet potatoes, methi leaves.
- When adding vegetables to the khichdi, cut into large chunks because of increased pressure cooking time.
Nutrition
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bhavana says
Thank you so much ? Me & my husband (Naveen) get super motivated & energized when we read comments like these. It means a world to us & it drives us to work even harder ? Keep writing useful feedback like this to us & don't think twice about it ?
Anonymous says
Turned out delicious!
bhavana says
Thank you
Leila says
This is so delicious, thank you!
I soaked the whole Bajra for a few hours, then put them in a blender for a few seconds to break them up a little before adding them to the pot (without removing the hulls)- the texture is so creamy.
Bhavana Patil says
That's awesome Leila 🙂 I am super happy to hear that, thank you for trying the recipe and sharing your feedback, have a great day 🙂