Soft Khichuri — Bangladesh

Soft khichuri, also known locally as patla khichuri, norom khichuri or leța kisuri, is a rice and lentil dish cooked down until it reaches the consistency of a thick porridge rather than staying grain by grain. Rice and split lentils are boiled together in plenty of water and simmered well past the point most khichuri is stopped, so the grains break down and thicken the whole pot. It is reported from the Sylhet region of Bangladesh, where it holds a place in Sylheti cuisine as a staple at the table during the holy month of Ramadan. It is served most evenings for iftar, the meal breaking the day's fast, and a related preparation called akhni is made for guests, khichuri itself being the everyday household version. Rice and split lentils are washed together, while ghee is heated separately and used to temper nigella seeds, locally kalozira, fenugreek seeds, bay leaf, cinnamon and cardamom until they release their aroma. The rice and lentils are added along with turmeric, salt, whole green chilies and a generous quantity of water, then the pot is simmered, stirred from time to time, until the grains soften completely and the dish takes on a thick, spoonable body. How much water is used decides how soft the final dish turns out, and cooks adjust it to taste, some keeping it thick enough to hold a spoon upright and others thinning it further. It is usually eaten on its own or with a side of fried onions, fried fish or boiled eggs, kept simple compared with the richer dishes cooked for the same iftar table.