Suvir Saran’s Birbal Kee Khitcheree

Name: Suvir Saran’s Birbal Kee Khitcheree
Yield: Serves 6 to 8
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: Pinch asafetida (optional); 1 cup/200 grams dal (split and hulled yellow lentils); 2 tablespoons ghee or clarified butter; 1½ tablespoons kosher salt; ¾ teaspoon ground turmeric; ⅛ teaspoon asafetida (optional); 4 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped; 1 medium red potato, cut into ½-inch/1-centimeter pieces; 10 cups/2.3 liters water; 1 small cauliflower, divided into very small florets; 1 cup/180 grams basmati rice; ½ teaspoon Panch Phoran; ½ large red onion, halved and thinly sliced; 1 (4-inch/10-centimeter) piece ginger, peeled and sliced into very thin matchsticks; 2 tablespoons lime juice; 1 jalapeño, seeded if desired and finely minced; ½ teaspoon Garam Masala; 2 teaspoons honey; ¼ cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves; 1½ to 2 quarts/1.5 to 2 liters peanut oil; 1 large red onion, halved and thinly sliced; ¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro; 8 whole cloves; 3 bay leaves; 1 (2-inch/5-centimeter) cinnamon stick; 1 teaspoon Panch; 10 green cardamom pods; Phoran; ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper; ½ teaspoon cumin seeds

Preparation info

Serves
6 to 8

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

From Scratch

By Michael Ruhlman

Published 2019

About

Years ago, I met a wonderful chef born in New Delhi named Suvir Saran. He was such a gentle and friendly soul that I attached myself to him immediately and was soon eating regularly at his restaurant Dévi on East Eighteenth Street in New York City. Several years later he competed on Top Chef Masters and was sent packing for making a veggie burger instead of the requested bacon cheeseburger, describing to the judges the ill effects of eating too much red meat. Here he is most welcome

Ingredients

Asia
India
Stew
Main course
Gluten-free
Vegetarian

Ingredients

Method