TURKISH IBRIK, MASOOR DAL KHICHDI

Turkish Ibrik is my "Show us your Metal" entry to Jai and Bee of "Jugalbandi" blog's "Click" event with the theme of "Metal" this February. My thanks to all the judges this month and JaiBee too!:)


About Ibrik:
Ibrik is long handled Turkish coffee pot which is traditionally used to brew coffee in Turkey. It was originally used to make coffee on hot desert sand but can be used on stove top too. It comes in different sizes, from 1 cup like this pot to large capacity as well. Ibriks are made of copper, brass and stainless steel. This particular genuine Ibrik from Istanbul is a gift from somebody. I tried making coffee once in this pot and now it sits pretty on my fireplace mantle! You can buy the modern Ibriks here and how to make Turkish coffee in Ibrik is here.

Turkish Ibrik, my entry to "Click" Metal:


Camera used:
Cannon PowerShot SD 600
Digital ELPH

Another look:



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Masoor dal Khichdi, cooked in the Microwave is my entry to "Microwave easy cooking" which is hosted by Srivalli of "Cooking 4 all seasons" with a theme of "Rice dishes" this month. Thanks for hosting Sri!:))



About Khichdi:
WIKI says "Khichdi literally means mish-mash or hodge-podge mixture, is an Indian dish that contains a combination of rice,one or more lentils and spices. Khichdi is commonly considered to be a North, East, West India's comfort food served with Kadhi and was the inspiration for the Anglo-Indian dish called kedgeree".
In southern part of India, we make a somewhat similar dish called BisiBele Bhath or Sambhar Rice which has even more and different ingredients than this dish and is our own style comfort "Khichdi" of the south! :)

Microwave Masoor dal Khichdi:
Khichdi is a mixture of rice and various dals cooked with flavorful spices, usually it's thinner and wetter than the usual Pulao or Biryani. Cooking Khichdi in MW is relatively easy since it's a one pot dish. Every MW is of different power strength, so you will have to make that judgment for how long to cook and how much water to add to the rice and dal mix, so it cooks evenly until soft.Adjust the spices to your taste. This is how I made it.


To make the Khichdi in the Microwave:
You need:
1 cup long grain rice, 1/2 cup Masoor dal (red lentils) washed and drained, 1/2 cup 1/2" cubed Carrots, salt, 2 cups or more water and 1/4 cup Tomato sauce or 2 tbsp Tomato puree, more or less according to your liking.
(You may soak rice in 2 cups of water for 15 mins before adding this to the MW bowl if you like)
Season:
1 tbsp oil, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 2 tsp finely grated or ground ginger.
Spice powders:
1 tbsp Coriander seeds pd, 1 tsp Cumin seeds pd, 1/2 tsp Garam masala, 1/2 tsp or more Kashmiri chilli powder, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder.
Garnish:
1 tbsp chopped Cilantro, 1 tsp Ghee, cucumber slices or cucumber Raita.
How to make:
1. Take a glass bowl, big enough to hold 4 cups of liquid. Add oil, microwave for 1 min on high.
2. Now, add all the seasoning ingredients, cover and heat for 30 seconds or more until ginger gets reddish color. Open and add spice powders, mix well.
3. Add rice, lentils, Carrots, water and cook without covering the bowl for 6-8 mins on high/100% power. Make sure rice and lentils are almost cooked before adding tomato. Cook for few more mins if not done, adding more water if necessary.
4. Pour in the tomato sauce, salt, mix well. Cover the bowl with the plate this time and cook at 50% power for 4 or more mins until everything is completely cooked and still little wet in texture, not very dry.
5. Take the bowl out, adjust the salt and heat. Add in cilantro, mix the Khichdi well.
Serve with Cucumber slices or Raita and a tsp of ghee added on top. You can serve this with Pickle, papad, or plain yogurt too. Tastes better after few hrs but tends to get a bit drier as it cools. Enjoy!:)

Arusuvai next!:)