When I read about Shaheen’s Express cooking I knew what I had to make for this event.
This dish is adapted from Tarla Dalal’s recipe . By now you all must have got to know what a great Tarla Dalal fan I am !
To make this dish within the span of 30 minutes I had to make minor changes with the recipe without altering the taste.
These are the changes I made -
- Small potatoes and onions were used in the original recipe for stuffing them. That would have meant 10 minutes gone in just cleaning peeling them. No no , so I settled for medium size potato and onion.
- Originally the dish is cooked in a pan . I cooked it in a pressure cooker to hasten the cooking process.
- I reduced the quantity of grated fresh coconut.
- I halved the recipe.
Shaheen thanks for coming up with this interesting theme . Never in my whole life did I time myself and entered the kitchen with paper pen and a watch 
It almost seemed like I was entering an examination hall !!
I will call this dish khichadi since there is rice and dal in it and the name is too lengthy.
The khichadi is a little dry unlike the normal one. So it is advisable to serve it with raita. You can serve it with buttermilk like Tarla dalal has suggested.
0-15 minutes Preparation
10 minutes cooking
5 minutes for the pressure to drop in the pressure cooker.
Bang after 30 minutes the food was ready to be served 
Serves 2-3 people
Measure 1 cup of Basmati rice and 1/2 cup Tur dal.
Wash both of them separately.
Heat 1 tsp ghee in a pressure cooker.
Add a pinch of hing , 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, and Tur dal in ghee.
Add 1 cup of water and simmer the dal.Do not put the lid of the cooker. Just cover with a steel plate.
Put 1 and 1/4 cup of water to heat in a another vessel.
Prepare the vegetables
Wash, peel and cut 1 medium potato, 1 medium onion into 1” cubes.
Wash and slit 2 small brinjals.
Take 2 tbsp fresh or frozen peas. If frozen then put them in plain water to thaw.
Wash and cut a handful of coriander leaves.
Take 1 Tbsp of fresh grated coconut.
For the Masala-
Take 1 tsp coriander powder and jeera powder each.
1 tsp of Badshah rajwadi garam masala ( this is my addition you can omit it ).
1 tsp if chilli powder.
a pinch of hing.
1 tsp sugar ( optional)
salt to taste
Mix the masala with the vegetables and keep 1 Tbp masala aside.
Put these vegetables on the dal in the cooker
Spread the washed rice on the vegetable mixture.
Take the extra 1 and 1/4 cup water which had been kept for heating, add enough salt to taste for the dal and rice, mix well.
Pour this water into the cooker. Put the pressure cooker lid.
Put the flame on high. It will whistle after 5 minutes.
After the whistle slow the flame for 5 minutes.
Off the stove.
It will take 5 minutes for the pressure to subside
When the khichadi was cooking I had enough time to micro 2 papad and prepare raita for my hubby and also clear my kitchen counter top.
For Raita-
Wash peel and cut half cucumber, one small onion.
Lightly beat 1cup curd.
Add crushed pepper, salt to taste.
Mix the cucumber, onion in the curd and some coriander leaves.
Before serving sprinkle the masla mixture kept aside on the rice. Serve the khichadi HOT with the papad and raita /curd or buttermilk, and some pickle.
This is my entry forShaheens Express cooking and Sharmi JFI Rice.
Sharmi is guest hosting JFI
The event JFI was first started by Indira of Mahanandi.
Its the first time I succeeded in ek teer se do nishan .
