Not too Farro Fetched

Farro Masala Khichdi (Instant Pot)

I totally dislike khichdi. (And snakes, but again, that’s not an appropriate food blog conversation) Thanks to me, my 6 year old thinks Khichdi is the most disturbing food ever invented. Or at least he used to, until I tricked him into trying this “Farro Lentil Soup”. (Yup, sneaky old manipulating me) He has since requested the “soup” in question at least 3 times, so I finally revealed it’s true identity to him and his response? “mom, khichdi isn’t as bad as you think, you should try it”! 

Ingredients

• 1 cup Tur dal + 1 cup Farro (soaked for at least 30 minutes and drained)
• 1 tbsp ghee + 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp each of cumin, fennel, fenugreek, coriander & mustard seeds
• 3-4 pepper corns
• 3-4 cloves
• 1″ stick cinnamon
• 1 green cardamom
• 1-2 bay leafs
• 1/4 tsp asafoetida
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 tbsp garlic-ginger paste
• 1 cup Butternut squash, chopped
• 1 cup chopped spinach, frozen/fresh
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp each of cumin & paprika powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp cayenne (optional)
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 3 cups water

Preparation

1. Heat the oil & ghee in the Instant Pot on sauté mode. Fry the seeds & the whole garam masala and then the asafoetida.
2. Fry the onions, tomatoes and ginger-garlic paste.
3. Add the spices, spinach, squash and the drained dal+Farro.
4. Add the water and salt. (This is where you check the seasoning)
5. Close the lid. Change the settings to Manual + 10 minutes while sealing. NPR

Note:I like my khichdi fairly thick but my son likes it soupy.  You can adjust the consistency by cooking it for a little bit longer without the lid on Sauté mode. Farro can absorb tons of water so please expect it to thicken up considerably if not serving immediately. (You can always thin it down though)