Oats khichdi is one of the easy oats recipes that can be prepared without much effort. It makes a good, nutritious and healthy breakfast on a busy day. Oats khichdi can also be a quick fix to a meal or dinner when you don’t have much time to cook. This can also be served to babies from 8 months. Oats khichdi can be cooked to slightly grainy or mushy to suit your liking.
khichdi is an Indian dish made of rice and lentils (dal). This is made with slight variations with an addition of garam masala or vegetables. Those following an ayurvedic diet believe it to be nutritious, light and is said to correct digestive disorders or soothe an upset tummy.
This oats khichdi recipe is adapted from an ayurvedic book, i replaced rice with oats. Using oats does not make the khichdi sticky since a good amount of dal and veggies are used.
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Oats khichdi recipe
Oats khichdi recipe | Oats recipes
Easy oats recipe - Vegetable oats khichdi is a quick one pot oatmeal and lentils dish cooked with basic spices. It is a comfort food and can be had for a breakfast or meal. Serve it with pickle or papad.
Ingredients (240 ml cup used)
- ¼ cup moong dal or yellow split mung beans
- ½ cup oats
- ½ to ¾ cup mix vegetables (carrot, peas, beans)
- 2 tbsp onion (optional)
- 1 small tomato deseeded (optional)(I didn't use)
- 1 ¾ to 2 cups water (regular rolled oats may need more)
Tempering for oats khichdi
- 1 tbsp ghee or oil
- ½ tsp cumin or jeera
- ½ tsp ginger grated or crushed
- 1 green chili slit or little pepper (skip for babies)
- Salt as needed
- 1/8 tsp turmeric or haldi
- Pinch asafoetida or hing (avoid for babies)
How to make the recipe
Preparation for oats khichdi
- Wash and soak moong dal in water till used.
Next wash and chop onions, tomato, carrot and beans. You can also skip all the veggies.
Make oats khichdi
Pour ghee to a hot pot or cooker. Add cumin. When they sizzle, saute ginger and chili till it turns aromatic. Do not burn.
Add hing if using. Next put in the onions and saute until transparent.
Transfer all the veggies and saute for about 2 to 3 minutes.
If using tomato then saute until tomatoes turn completely soft and mushy. The raw smell of the tomatoes has to go away. You can also add little chili powder if you prefer.
- Drain the water from dal and add it to the pot. Fry for about 2 to 3 minutes till the dal smells good.
Add oatmeal, salt and turmeric. Fry for about 2 minutes.
Pour water. You can adjust the quantity of water to make it mushy or slightly grainy.
On a medium flame, pressure cook for two whistles. Dal has to cook completely. If cooking in a pot, cook until the dal has soft cooked adding more water as needed.
When the pressure goes off open the lid. If desired can add little more ghee.
- Serve oats khichdi warm.
Recipe Notes
If your baby is on a gluten free diet, you will have to use gluten free oats to make this khichdi.
How to make oats khichdi recipe
1. Wash and soak dal until we need it, this helps dal to get cooked faster. Heat ghee in a pot, saute cumin till they begin to sizzle. Add ginger and fry until it begins to smell good. Add hing. For babies under an year old you can avoid using hing. You can also add bay leaf.
2. Saute the onions first until transparent. Then add chopped veggies, green chilli and saute for about 2 to 3 minutes. Veggies like chili, carrots, cauliflower, capsicum go well with this khichdi. For babies you can try with cauliflower, carrots, methi, palak, pumpkin or bottle gourd. You can also add 1 small deseeded and chopped tomato if not making for baby. Saute until the tomatoes cook and turn mushy. The raw smell of tomato must go off.
3. Add moong dal, turmeric and saute for about 3 minutes without burning. You can also use a bit of red chilli powder and garam masala (optional).Khichdi gets a good aroma by sauteing dal in ghee.
Adding oats for oats khichdi
4. Add oats,salt and saute for 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Add 1 ¾ to 2 cups water. Stir well.
Cooking oats khichdi
6. Pressure cook on a medium flame for 2 whistles. When the pressure goes off, open the lid. I usually cook it in a pot on a medium flame until done. After few readers commented the dal didn’t get cooked well or took longer, i tried pressure cooking. It did work well. Make sure the flame is medium and not high. If you are not on a low fat diet, add half a spoon of ghee towards the end. If making for baby, mash up well with a spoon before feeding. It can be pureed as well once it cools down. For babies older than an year, try to just mash and feed.
I like to sprinkle little pepper powder and ghee. Serve oats khichdi warm. It can be served with pickle or papad.
Vikky says
Super recipe. I am a very big follower to ur recipes. thank you
swasthi says
Hi Vikky
Thank you so much.
Shilpapaida says
I would like to know that in oats khichdi oats can use ready med like safola oats or different ???
swasthi says
Hi Shilpa
I don’t live in India so I don’t know much about saffola oats. But I guess saffola oats are processed and has additives in them. Please try to find rolled oats or steel cut oats. Other kinds of oats are not healthy to use.
Jaishree soni says
Thanks for your oats recipes. They help me to loose weight.
swasthi says
Welcome Jaishree
Happy to know they are useful
Hemangi says
Hie swasthi, oats khichdi and Dalia khichdi super recipes, my daughter like a lot, she is 14 month old, she like only runny food, roti,subji,paratha she can’t eat, pls send me more runny food recipes…Pls pls, she is not eating idli dosa because she feel very dry… She has only 2 teeth…Pls give me more recipes. Thank you..
swasthi says
welcome Hemangi
Thanks.
You can check this link on baby food recipes. You will find lot of baby food recipes. It is healthy to feed runny foods till the baby turns 18 to 24 months as they are light on the stomach. If you feed idli you must use rice for making idli and not rava. You will have to soak up the idli in raasam or sambar and mash well and feed. Hope this helps
puja gupta says
Thanks aap k wajese mai SB kuchh sikhi hu
swasthi says
Welcome Puja