India is loving khichdi with a twist

The word ‘khichdi’ is usually met with sighs and pangs considering its boring tag. However chefs are on a mission to change that. Unofficially designated as the national dish of the country, the humble Khiccā (in Sanskrit) has come a long way.

Experiments & More

Born with the aim of creating a differentiator in a rather cluttered market and curating consistent food experiences for everyday India, Khichdi Experiment has given a flavourful twist to India’s original comfort food. With 20 different varieties that incorporate local elements, ingredients and flavours, Khichdi Experiment caters to both vegetarian and non-vegetarian eaters. “As a truly Indian brand, we believe there is no other better dish to start our food journey with than Khichdi. In an endeavour to offer holistic experiences with food, we launched our first restaurant in Bengaluru and are also experimenting with different retail models, including a corporate kiosk, presence in malls, food trucks and on multiple delivery platforms,” says Pranay Jivrajka, CEO – Ola Foods.

The team at Khichdi Experiment incidentally has spent much time understanding the Indian palate, while playing around with popular and evolving taste preferences. From the classic Plain Dal Khichdi to the Palak variant and even Bengali PanchPhoran Khichdi and Hyderabadi Khatte Dal ki Khichdi, each flavour is a play on the classic dish from states across the country, with an added twist.

Meat Matters

Khichda is a variation of the Arabic dish Harees or Harissa. Khichda is very popular with Muslims of the North Indian subcontinent. It is made up of lamb meat, lentils and spices, slowly cooked; but the chunks of meat remain intact and not absolutely dissolved with lentils. Khichda is cooked all year around and particularly during Muharram and Ramadan. “Khichda has been one of my all-time favourite dish, always looked forward to it whenever I used to travel to Lucknow and Kanpur or prepare it myself at home during Ramadan month. It is a beautiful and classic dish which never got its due recognition and the dish is still trapped within the walled cities of Lucknow, Kanpur & Agra, hence I decided to introduce the legend of ‘Khichda’ to the world,” says Ahsan Ali Qureshi, Co-Founder, Cross Border Kitchens. While khichdi is always vegetarian, khichda is always made with meat.

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Twist of Taste

 

from
via Lonely Planet India