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Bangladeshi · Bengali

Bhuna khichuri

Vegetarian

ভুনা খিচুড়ি · bhuna khichuri

Rice and dry-roasted moong dal cooked together in ghee with whole spices, ginger, potatoes, cauliflower and peas until soft but still in distinct grains. A rainy-day Bengali comfort meal.

Bhuna khichuri is a Bangladeshi rice dish, ready in about 1 hour 5 minutes and made with mung beans and short-grain rice. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

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Dal Khichdi
Representative photo. Rpande / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
15 min
Cook
45 min
Rest
5 min
Total
1 h 5 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
498

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Dry-roast the moong dal (opens in a new tab) in a frying pan over medium-low heat, stirring, until golden and nutty. Rinse it briefly and drain with the rice.

  2. Step 2

    Heat the ghee (opens in a new tab) in a heavy pot. Add the bay leaves (opens in a new tab), cinnamon (opens in a new tab), cardamom (opens in a new tab), cloves (opens in a new tab) and cumin (opens in a new tab), then the onion (opens in a new tab), and fry until golden.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Add the ginger, chillies, turmeric (opens in a new tab) and chilli powder, then the potato (opens in a new tab) and cauliflower (opens in a new tab), and fry for 3 minutes.

    • 4 min
    • medium heat

  4. Step 4

    Add the rice and dal and fry, stirring gently, for 4–5 minutes until everything is coated and smells toasty.

    • 5 min
    • medium heat

  5. Step 5

    Pour in the hot water with the salt and sugar (opens in a new tab), add the peas (opens in a new tab), bring to the boil, then cover and simmer on low heat until the water is absorbed and the grains are soft but separate.

    • 20 min
    • low heat

  6. Step 6

    Sprinkle over the garam masala (opens in a new tab), cover and rest for 5 minutes before serving.

    • 5 min

    Food safety: Cool leftover rice quickly (within 1 hour), refrigerate, and reheat only once until piping hot.

    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Bengal (Bangladesh and West Bengal, India) · Commonly attributedKhichuri is eaten across Bengal, especially on rainy days and at festivals; 'bhuna' means the drier, well-fried style.Also popular in Bangladesh, India
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Rice dishes · Main courses
Cooking method
Toasted, Sautéed, Simmered
Taste
savoury, aromatic / warmly spiced, earthy, mild
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat · Calorie-conscious
With the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pot · Budget-friendly
Cook more with
Mung beans · Short-grain rice · Ghee · Bay leaves · Cinnamon · Cardamom
Techniques
Toasting · Sautéing · Boiling · Simmering · Spice roasting (dry-roasting)

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom ghee

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

498 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 516 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 13%
  • Carbohydrate 67%
  • Fat 20%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy498 kcal96 kcal
Protein16.3 g3.2 g
Carbohydrate84.5 g16.4 g
Net carbohydrate——
Sugars——
Added sugars1 g0.2 g
Fibre——
Fat11.3 g2.2 g
Saturated fat6.6 g1.3 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol26 mg5 mg
Sodium934 mg181 mg
Salt equivalent2.3 g0.5 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1022 mg
Calcium
125 mg
Iron
5.1 mg
Magnesium
125 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
—
Vitamin C
54 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
294 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Garam masala: Curry powder (FDC 170924) used as a stand-in; both are ground blends of similar dried spices used in teaspoon amounts.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Roasting the dal is what gives bhuna khichuri its nutty aroma and stops it turning to porridge.

Common mistakes

  • Burning the dal while roasting — stop as soon as it smells nutty and turns light golden.

Serve with

  • Serve with fried eggplant (begun bhaja), an omelette or fried fish.

Food safety

  • Cool leftover rice quickly (within 1 hour), refrigerate, and reheat only once until piping hot.

Storage

  • Keeps 2 days refrigerated.

Reheating

  • Reheat with a splash of water, covered, until piping hot.

Variations

  • Bhoger khichuri (India): The wetter, festival version offered during Durga Puja.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Masalas in this recipe

Make the masala first, then come back to finish the dish.

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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