We all ask for different things from our food in the name of comfort. We look for that glint of a certain place or time, or of a particular person or group of people. Others of us might look to dishes that skirt the edges of familiarity yet sate a yearning for something new and stimulating: the familiar yet unfamiliar.
I seek out food that’s also nourishing, because what is more comforting than being truly well-fed in every way? There’s also something to be said for postprandial smugness.
Trying to light on a meal that hits most of those points, I’ve been turning lately to Indian kitchari (a.k.a. kichadi or kicheree or khichdi), a one-pot dish of grains and legumes scented with spices and cooked until each component breaks down into the other. Likening it to risotto is only a little bit of a stretch. Kitchari is creamy and fragrant, filling without being heavy, deceptively rich-tasting and supremely healthful at the same time.
In India, kitchari is home cooking: a dish everyone knows, and everyone knows how to make. That is partly why, though on the subcontinent you might occasionally find kitchari in a restaurant, it is not commonly served at restaurants in the United States. Traditionally, kitchari hasn’t been something you go out for.