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Appreciation

Rice and khadi

My father Ashvin had this comforting soup-type thing for lunch at least once a week when I was growing up. It came up in a course I’m taking about partswork and ancestry, and one of my fellow students asked for the recipe. Here is how I make it, based on my recollection.

Rice and khadi
My father would eat his rice and khadi on this sofa. The cat’s name was Tiffany.

Make rice

  • Combine 1/2 cup white rice (basmati is nice but not necessary), 1 cup water, and a pinch of salt in a little saucepan.
  • Bring to a boil, then cover and turn down to low for 18 minutes.
  • Let the rice rest covered till you are ready for it.

Set up for the khadi

While the rice is going,

  • Get 1/2 cup plain yogurt, any kind (my dad used plain Dannon, I use Greek-style cashew yogurt).
  • Get 1–2 cups of water — more if you like your khadi more soupy, less if you like it thicker.
  • Put whole spices in a little dish: 1/4 teaspoon each mustard seeds and cumin seeds. If you have them, you can add a cinnamon stick and a few cloves, 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds, and a handful of curry leaves. You can put a
  • Put ground spices in a different little dish: about 1/2 teaspoon each of turmeric and garlic powder, plus salt to taste. If you have them and like them, you can add other spices too: a pinch of cayenne and asafetida, cinnamon, and cloves. (Only use the ground cinnamon and cloves if you don’t use whole.)
  • You might like to have some sugar on hand, too.

Make the khadi

Once you’re set up,

  • Heat up a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat, or an Instant Pot on the sauté setting. Have a whisk and the water nearby.
  • Once it’s hot, melt a couple teaspoons of some neutral-ish fat (ghee is classic, my dad used vegetable oil, and I use coconut oil).
  • Once the fat is hot, toss in the whole spices, and stir them around briskly until the mustard seeds start popping.
  • Once that happens, toss in the ground spices and stir them around for a few seconds, until the turmeric smells nice.
  • Carefully add the water (it will splash!), bring to a near-boil, and then lower the heat to low. Simmer it for a bit.
  • Once the broth is simmering, start whisking it, and add the yogurt a spoonful at a time, whisking as you go. As you do this, the khadi will become fluorescent yellow, like a highlighter! Keep whisking after all the yogurt is added, to keep it from splitting. Then turn off the heat until the rice is done.
  • Taste the khadi to see if it is right, and adjust the spices accordingly. At this point I usually add extra garlic powder and some sugar.

Combine and eat

Once the khadi is made and the rice is done, add the rice to the khadi and stir it around. Now you have a comforting bowl of rice and khadi! I like to put a spoonful of mango pickle on top of mine, but you don’t have to.

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