the pepper cook

This buckwheat khichadi is a savoury porridge, akin a pulao, made with the gluten-free groats of buckwheat, and is delicious. Flavoured with chilies, cumin, potatoes, peanuts, coconut as well as other spices, it’s a one-dish wonder for lunch or dinner when served with fresh yoghurt.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup buckwheat groats (whole kuttu) Buy my favourite buckwheat now from Amazon.in
• 2 cups water
• 2 small potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 3 tablespoons peanuts
• 3 tablespoons grated coconut
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• 3 tablespoons fresh coriander leaves, chopped
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon red chili, ground
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• asafoetida, a pinch Buy asafoetida now from Amazon.in
• 2 green chilies, sliced in half
• 10 curry leaves
• 1-inch piece peeled ginger, chopped fine
• juice of 1 sliced lime
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons ghee

Instructions:

1. Soak buckwheat within water for 4 hours or overnight.
2. Boil uncovered for 15 minutes until tender.
3. Boil 2 small potatoes until soft, about 15 minutes, peel, and dice.
4. Dry roast peanuts in a frying pan until lightly browned. Grind or pound into a coarse powder.
5. In a large bowl, combine buckwheat, coconut, turmeric, peanuts, chopped coriander, salt, and ground red chili. Use your hands to mix everything evenly.
6. Heat ghee in a wok or large frying pan on medium heat. Add cumin, asafetida, sliced green chilies and curry leaves to the hot ghee. Fry for a minute until cumin changes colour.
7. Add ginger and fry for another minute.
8. Add buckwheat mixture to the wok, and fry until well combined, about 3 minutes.
9. Turn of the heat, combine lime juice and sugar, mix into buckwheat. Serve hot with plain yogurt.

Critical Ingredients:  The cumin in the recipe can be replaced by mustard seeds. If you don’t have asafoetida, leave it out, no one will know.  Curry leaves add a lot of flavors, but don’t have them and don’t want to buy them – just skip using them.  Peanuts will add crunch – I wouldn’t substitute another nut. If you don’t have fresh coconut, you can use unsweetened desiccated coconut by soaking it in a bit of milk to soften it.  If you only have sweetened desiccated coconut, use just one tablespoon and skip the sugar at the end.  No coriander leaves? Leave them out.