Khichadi Pizza (Crust with leftover khichadi)

Khichadi, an amalgamation of lentil and rice. A wholesome and healthy comfort meal of the Indian cuisine. Soothing for stomach and aids in digestion, Khichadi is a versatile dish which is prepared differently in different parts of India using a variety of lentils with rice. A basic Khichadi is prepared by pressure cooking lentil and rice until it turns gooey and adding the tempering of ghee(very important in every Khichadi preparation) with cumin seeds and red chilli powder after. Many a times, you can also add tomato+onion masala as well for the tempering. As I said, it all depends on your liking.

Khichadi is one of the favorite dishes of moms of babies and toddlers. Since it is a complete meal, and easy to digest, it naturally becomes very healthy for kids. But with the introduction of fast food and other such "delicious" food, the plain old Khichadi doesn't seem to be comforting to many of the new generation. I didn't like it much when I was a kid either. But now, I am in position of my mom and want my child to eat Khichadi often. But, what can I say, karma! He doesn't like it either and gives me a hard time eating it.

Pizza, on the other hand is a family favorite. Since I started making Pizza from scratch, we don't really wait for a special occasion or an outing to have our favorite Pizza. This time however, I decided to give the Pizza a healthy outlook. So I prepared it's crust with leftover Khichadi! I have used moong dal (yellow moong lentil)+rice Khichadi for this recipe but you can try it with your choice of Khichadi as well.

Ingredients:

Khichadi- 2 cups

Besan (Gram flour)-1/2 cup

Mozzarella cheese- 1/2 cup

Pizza sauce- 1 tbsp

Choice of Toppings- 1/2 cup (I have used tomato & bell pepper)

Oregano seasoning- 1 tsp

Chilli flakes- 1 tsp

Oil- 1 tsp

Garlic powder- 1 tsp (optional)

Method:

1. Mix besan, oregano, chilli flakes and garlic powder with Khichadi and prepare a sticky mixture. 2. On a parchment paper, spread it in a circular shape of 1/2 inch thickness and diameter according to the size of the pan. Grease hand with oil so that it's easier to spread the mixture.

3. Transfer it face down on a heated greased non-stick pan and then remove Parchment paper from top. Keep the heat to med-low.

4. Roast it on med-low flame from both sides for 8-10 min flipping occasionally. Use oil on edges if required. Make sure the crust is completely cooked before adding the toppings.

5. Add pizza sauce, toppings and cheese and cover the pan with a hot tawa (skillet) until cheese melts.

I like to call this 'art of concealing'! Do give it a try next time when you have leftover Khichadi or are in a mood to make your pizza healthy with this gluten free choice of crust.