Meetha Khichda Recipe: The Sweet Rice Delight That Steals the Spotlight at Indian Festivals

 

Introduction

Meetha Khichda is an Indian sweet dish that is prepared for the special occasions. This is mainly a variation of a savory dish (Khichda) a Rice dish eaten with Chicken or Mutton curry. I have grown up eating this dish and it always tastes delicious and the texture is also very unique. If we look back to the  origin of this dish I would say it comes from a Mughal heritage. Mostly the food served in the time of weddings or Festivals there is always a sweet dessert at the end of the meal. 

One of the most common sweet desserts in the Muslim weddings is Meetha Zarda (sweet rice dish) but the dish I am sharing is not very common. When I talked about this dish with my friends most of them thought it is Meetha Zarda. I decided to share this recipe because it is unique and simple to make. So In this Blog i will share with you the step by step guide to make perfect Meetha Khichda at home.

So are you ready to join me in this journey to unveil the recipe for this amazing dish?

Ingredients

• Rice 500 grams (Basmati rice only)
• Chana dal 125 grams
• Sugar 250 grams

For Tadka

• Ghee 2 table spoons
• Cloves 4 pieces
• Green Cardamom 2 pieces
• Cinnamon 1 stick

For Garnishing

• Dry fruits
• Raisins
• Cashew
• Pistachio

Step by Step Instructions 

1. Boil the chana dal in a cooking pot or pressure cooker as you prefer. To make this delicious Meetha Khichda effortlessly, I recommend using a reliable pressure cooker on Amazon! for perfectly cooked rice and lentils every time.
   
   
2. Wait for 2-3 whistles and make sure it is soft enough not overly cooked like a mash. 
3. Once the chana dal is boiled drain the water and keep it aside in a bowl.
   
   
4. Now take a new pot and put the washed rice into the pot and pour water (double the amount of rice).
   
   
5. Boil the rice and make sure that it is not perfectly cooked as we want it to be little under cooked for our next step.
   
   
6. Now put the Chana dal which we have kept aside and put sugar into the pot and mix them well. 
   
   
7. Let it simmer for a while so that the sugar melts and rice cooks simultaneously.
   
   
8. Once the sugar melts and the rice and Chana dal cooked perfectly, turn off the gas stove.

Now Prepare the Tadka for the dish.

1. Take a tadka pan and put Ghee into the pan. Enhance the flavors of your Meetha Khichda with a perfect finishing touch using this handy Tadka Pan on Amazon! for tempering spices effortlessly.
   
   
2. Put Cloves, Green cardamom, Cinnamon stick and let it crackle a little bit.
   
   
3. Turn off  the gas and put the prepared tadka into the rice and Chana dal pot.
   
   
4. Cover the pot and let it absorb all the essence of tadka ingredients.
   
   
5. For garnishing chop the dry fruits and keep it aside.
   
   

Serving

• Now Serve the Meetha Khichda in a serving plate and sprinkle the dry fruits over it.

Pro tips for making Meetha Khichda 

• Use only Basmati rice aged for 2 years for perfect aroma and taste.
• Ghee is an essential ingredients for this dish.
• Chana dal should be unpolished for perfect taste.

I hope you would like the recipe and it will be a new addition to your list of desserts.

Let me know your favorite dessert which you have prepared at home. I would love to hear your feedback about this recipe.

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Kitchen Tools

Pressure Cooker: https://amzn.to/4jYQ47g on Amazon

Tadka Pan: https://amzn.to/3CSA1H8  on Amazon

Further Reading: 
Shahi Tukda Recipe: A Regal Indian Dessert to Delight Your Taste Buds