khichdi - online puzzles

Khichdi (pronounced [ˈkʰɪtʃɽi]), is a dish from the Indian subcontinent made from rice and lentils (dal), but other variations include bajra and mung dal kichri. In Indian culture, it is considered one of the first solid foods that babies eat. Hindus, who avoid eating grains during fasting, eat Sabudana Khichadi made from sago. Kichri is a salty porridge. Dalia is another similar sweet porridge made from the crushed wheat or barley mixed with sugar and milk. It was the inspiration for the Anglo- Indian dish kedgeree.

Etymology and spelling

The term khichdi (Khicṛī) ( Urdu : کھچڑی) is derived from Sanskrit खिच्चा khiccā, a dish of rice and legumes.Some divergence of transliteration may be noted in the third consonant in the word khicṛī. The sound is the retroflex flap [ɽ], which is written in Hindi with the Devanagari letter ड़, and in Urdu script with the Perso-Arabic letter ڑ.

History

The Greek king Seleucus during his campaign in India (305-303 BC), mentioned that rice with pulses is very popular among people of the Indian subcontinent. The Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta mentions kishri as a dish in India composed of rice and mung beans, during his stay around 1350.