Kichri is a bland, soothing blend of rice cooked with lentils. It's the classic thing your mummy makes for you when you have an upset stomach and can't stand the thought of eating serious food.
This dish exists all over South Asia, in various guises, and across the whole range of wet-to-dryness. Mine is on the drier side, but this is a taste thing and the amount of water can be adjusted to suit if you like it soupier. Kichri is often served with plain yogurt, or with raita (yogurt seasoned with spices and sometimes diced cucumbers or other veggies).
As with all basmati rice preparations, once you mix up the ingredients into the boiling water and cover it, don't stir the pot again until it's done (lest you end up with an even bigger mush that you already will). This reminds me of many conversations with my mother:
Me: But how will I know when it's done?
Her: It's done when it's done - you know, after the right amount of time.
recipe: khichri
1/4 onion, sliced thin
1 T veg oil
3/4 cup basmati rice, rinsed a few times and soaked about 20 minutes
1/4 cup masoor daal, rinsed and soaked along with the rice
2 cups water
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 tsp salt
Brown the onion in the oil over med-hi heat, stirring to keep it from burning. When it's brown, add the water, salt, and cumin, and raise temperature to bring to a boil. As it's coming up to temperature, give it some good stirs so the brown from the onions colors the water a bit. When the water boils, add the rice and daal mixture and give it another good stir. Boil it hard for a moment, then cover the pot, turn the heat down as low as it goes, and leave it alone. After about twenty minutes, take a peek - if the rice is tender and the water has evaporated, it's done!
