Khichra

Khichra

Khichra
Type Stew
Place of origin India, Pakistan and Bangladesh
Main ingredients Meat, lentils, spices
Variations Beef khichra, chicken khichra, mutton khicra
Food energy
(per serving)
 High calory kcal
Cookbook: Khichra  Media: Khichra

Khichra or Khichda (Urdu: کھچڑا‎) is a variation of the dish Haleem, popular with Muslims of South Asia and North India, especially Lucknow. Khichra is cooked all year and particularly during the holy month of Ramadaan. It is made up of beef, lentils and spices, slowly cooked to a thick paste.[1] It is the meat based variant of the Indian rice dish called Khichdi.[2]

Origin

As per the Delhi based historian Sohail Hashmi, the Khichra originated as a famine relief measure in the North Indian city of Lucknow while building the Old Imambara of Lucknow. Due to a famine, the then Nawab of Awadh commenced the construction of an imambara, announcing that anyone who participated in the construction would be given free food. This free food consisted of rice slowly cooked with mutton and various pulses, thus becoming rich in protein and carbohydrates. This aided a number of famine affected people who would otherwise have died. Once the construction of the imambara was completed, the dish continued to get popular and can today be found not just in Lucknow, but a number of cities of the Indian sub continent. Travellers took this dish to other parts of South Asia, where it further acquired a local flavor.[3]

Daleem, Khichra and Khichri

In South Asia, especially the Indian subcontinent, both Daleem and Khichra are made with same ingredients. Daleem is cooked until the meat blends with the lentils, while in Khichra chunks of meat remains as cubes.[4][5][6]

Khichuri, a bangali dish
Korai Khichuri, a bangali dish

Khichra is similar to Haleem and is a meat dish. While Khichri is a vegetarian dish with rice and pulses or lentils.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The slow-cooked goodness of Haleem". The Times of India. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  2. ↑ Dalal, Tarla (1 January 2007). The Complete Gujarati Cook Book (1st ed.). Mumbai: Sanjay & Co. ISBN 8186469451. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  3. ↑ Hashmi, Sohail. "Interview - Ravish Kumar Sohail Hashmi - NDTV Prime 9 September 2016 (The Biryani Controversy)". NDTV. NDTV.
  4. ↑ Nidhi Raizada. "It's Indian Everyday: Difference between Khichri, Khichra and Daleem". Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  5. ↑
  6. ↑ Raizada, Nidhi. Desi Cook Book. Mumbai.


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