Mumbai Food: The khichdi finds a place at Mumbai's bars

Jhinga KhichdiPicSneha KharabeThis ones for those who want the best of both worlds the good old comfort of home on their plates while relishing it in a restaurant ambience The new and improved version of the khichdi appears to have struck that fine balance thanks to a handful of chefs that like to get playful From being braised with red wine to being baked and laced with a variety of meat herbs spices one wouldnt commonly associate with the khichdi the experiments have paid off Some of these concoctions were results of fortunate accidents a few others a labour of multiple trials Now these gourmet rice dishes even work as bar food with tipplers merrily drowning their bowl of khichdi with their drinks Heres why you should look at the khichdi with new eyesChef Munawar Peerzade has added six khichdi variants to the menu PicSneha KharabeJhinga Khichdi at BKC Dive PicSneha KharabeJhinga KhichdiHead chef Munawar Peerzade at a previous work place had once got an order for dal khichdi and while preparing it he was struck by the idea of trying something different There were some prawns lying around I sauteacuteed them with the khichdi masala and it became a whole new dish mdash as simple as that At that time though I did not send it to the customer he smiles His little experiment opened gates to more Luckily I got it right the first time I later got experimental with mutton paneer eggs and whatever else I could get my hands outThe result is five variants on the menu besides the usual dal khichdi staple Theres mutton keema khichdi palak khichdi vegetable khichdi egg khichdi chicken khichdi and of course the bestseller jhinga khichdi We are only about a month old but the orders are flowing in says the 37yearold who has 17 years of industry experience And what makes this a bar bite we ask People usually like to dig into finger foods while drinking but later they feel hungry and order biryanis or pulavs even though they are not looking for something that heavy A khichdi strikes the right balance mdash it is filling but not overpowering And if you can make it interesting you have a winning dish Interestingly this dish is served in a pressure cooker I wanted to give it a homey feel so the pressure cooker in which the khichdi is cooked is brought directly to the table Our patrons find it amusing Peerzade saysChipotle paneer with Mexican Khichdi PicDatta KumbharChipotle paneer with Mexican KhichdiDuring one of his trips to Europe Chef Rakesh Talwar recalls craving some home cooked comfort food I was feeling a bit low and hungry but didnt want to eat too muchChipotle paneer and Mexican khichdi at The Spare Kitchen PicDatta KumbharThe only dish that came to my mind was khichdi Since I was not in India I had to work with the ingredients that were available and thats where my mind started ticking he says Getting his hands on some roasted peppers olives corn and grilled chicken the chef tried his little experiment And there it was the best khichdi I had ever made he saysChef Rakesh Talwar Talwar introduced the dish over three years ago PicDatta KumbharThe chipotle paneer with Mexican khichdi was introduced at the restaurant threeanda halfyears ago at the first Juhu outlet I think I was the first one to put this kind of khichdi on the menu he says adding that patrons were initially a reluctant to order it When we told them that it was for a tasting session they were very willing to try Thats how the word spread aroundGratin Khichdi PicDatta KumbharAu Gratin Khichdi at Hitchki PicSneha KharabeAu Gratin KhichdiAt Kalaghodas newest entrant Hitchki the menu is crafted in a way that harks back to your childhood The dishes that we usually associate with what our grandmothers used to make like khichdi pancakes and vada pav are served with a twist So we thought why not merge the au gratin with dal khichdi served with dollops of ghee says Chef Ajay Thakur The dal khichdi is tempered with mustard seeds curry leaves chilli served in a skillet and topped with au gratin made with bread butter pureacuteed pickle and parmesan cheeseChef Ajay Thakur at the Kalaghoda restaurant PicDatta KumbharThe idea he adds was to keep the originality of the khichdi while adding a Western touch to it It took the chef a couple of trials to nail the fusion We first tried mixing the cheese bread and pickle together in the khichdi but it did not work Making a crunchy layer of those ingredients by baking them like an au gratin and topping it on the khichdi served the purpose and gave us exactly what we aspired for he says Its one of his bestsellers now During lunch hour most patrons order it as it is the perfect midday meal It is light and comforting just what you need in the middle of a work day he saysPudina Chicken Khichdi PicDatta KumbharPudina Chicken KhichdiAt the newly opened dhaba style Powai haunt the pudina chicken khichdi is gaining steam This is the brainchild of chef Rameshwar Prasad an industry veteran with over three decades of experience I see people going for heavy ricebased dishes with or without meat Between risottos and biryanis the humble khichdi somewhere got forgottenChef Rameshwar Prasad PicDatta KumbharI thought we could make it relevant as a fancy dish Thats how the idea was born But it took me four tries to perfect it While the base of onion garlic tomatoes and green chillies remain standard he cooks it all with chunks of grilled chicken They come straight from the tandoor and retain a smoky flavour adding texture to the dish And I make sure to cook it light keeping the spices mild so it serves as a filling and interesting meal with a round of drinks The key flavour of the dish comes from the pure desi ghee it is cooked in says the 56yearoldRed wine braised mushroom baked PicDatta KumbharRed wine braised mushroom bakedAt BKCs Dishkiyaoon the Red Wine Braised Mushroom Baked Khichdi is a popular dish and according to consulting chef Prasad Parab a lot of it has to do with the name The name instantly catches your attention while browsing through the menu And once people taste it they love it for the essence of red wine that enhances the flavour of the khichdi he says While the restaurant always had the dahlia khichdi on the menu the red wine variety was introduced only a month ago Here the rice is sauteacuteed in olive oil and leeks and then deglazed with red wine We add vegetable stock cook the rice and finish it with parmesan cheese butter and top it with wild rocket lettuce If you happen to order it next time youre there the chef has a suggestion Pair it with white red or Roseacute wine It tastes greatJaee Ki Khichdi PicDatta KumbharJaee Ki KhichdiStaying true to the theme of bringing in delicacies from the 29 states of the country this dish is an offering from Uttarakhand we are told Its an herbsoatmealspinach khichdi from the valleys of Uttarakhand the Kumaoni region to be precise Speaking of the recipe chef Sharique says Its cooked in ghee to which cumin seeds and whole spices are added We add shredded spinach boiled moong dal and oats to it which makes it a dish packed with proteins vitamin and iron Its a cool dish to beat the heat He stumbled upon the recipe during one of his trips to Kumaon Its a common dish there We teamed it with a generous serving of chonk wala dahi a technique and garnish of whole spices fried in oil to enhance the flavour and poured into the dahi along with crunchies Despite the initial psychological holdup about eating khichdi at a restaurant it is one of our highest selling maincourses The herbs render it a palatepleasing flavour