Kichdi - Moong dal and rice porridge

Khichri is commonly considered to be a comfort food, and was the inspiration for the Anglo-Indian dish of kedgeree. 


In India, babies progress to eating kichri after they have been introduced to rice. You can start by feeding baby the water or soup that comes on top after cooking the moong dal and rice together or with the kichri itself if you think baby is ready.  


For making kichri baby food, you will need:

• 1 teaspoon moong dal powder
• 2 teaspoon rice powder
• Water

Cook the moong dal  and rice powder mixed together with 8-10 teaspoons water in a pressure cooker or in a pot over a low flame. Once cooked the consistency should be smooth. Run through a sieve if required or a use a baby food processor. 


You can start making many variations of kichri by adding different vegetables like carrots, pumpkin, butternut squash, sweet potato, potato, spinach (start with 1-2 leaves of baby spinach), green beans, sweet peas and also combinations of veggies. You can also add fish or chicken when cooking the kichri.


To dispell wind( gassiness), you can add a pinch of asafoetida (hing) to the khichri when cooking it. A bit of garlic also helps.