Makai ni Khichdi or Makai no Chevdo

Makai ni khichdi or Makai no chevdo as it is know by the most people, is a popular snack in Gujarat, but I had never heard of it until I got married:). It is prepared by cooking fresh corn kernels in milk, along with coconut, coriander and some spices.


I was born and brought up in Bombay. Despite of being Gujarati, I never realized that we (in my family) didn’t make many authentic Gujarati dishes, and had never even heard of them. My MIL makes many authentic Gujarati dishes, which either I hadn’t tasted before, or I had never heard of them before. Makai no chevdo is one of them. They call it chevdo, but to me it looks more like khichdi. This is one of the healthy and tasty Gujarati dishes which everyone should try.

My MIL makes it with yellow corn kernels available here in the USA. I am not sure if they make it with white corn in India. I personally think that the yellow corn version is better, because it is naturally sweet, and no additional sugar is needed in this recipe.

Here is the recipe.
Ingredients:
1 Cup Frozen Corn Kernels, Thawed (You can use fresh corn too),
½ Cup Milk,
¼ Cup Water,
Salt to Taste
1 Teaspoon Chili-Ginger Paste (or Per Taste)
¼ Cup Shredded Coconut (Fresh or Frozen),
½ Cup Chopped Cilantro,
1/8 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder, Optional
1 Tablespoon Oil,
¼ Teaspoon Mustard Seeds,
¼ Teaspoon Cumin Seeds,
A Pinch Asafoetida
Lemon Slices, Optional

Method
Pulse the corn kernels in a grinder 2-3 times such that it resembles a coarse mixture. You can leave some kernels unbroken, it is perfectly fine. Just make sure to not make a smooth paste out of the corn.

Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds to it. Once they finish crackling, add the cumin seeds and asafoetida. Wait for 30 seconds, and then add the corn, salt and chili ginger paste. Stir and cook on low heat for 2-3 minutes making sure that the mixture doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Now add the milk, water, cilantro, coconut and the turmeric powder. Turn the heat to medium, cover the pan with a splatter guard and cook the mixture until most of the liquid evaporates. The resulting mixture should have khichdi-like (rice pudding) consistency. I prefer mine a little on drier side, so I cook it a little longer. This is it, your Makai no Chevdo or Makai ni Khichdi is ready to be served.

Serve hot by garnishing with some chopped cilantro and putting some lemon slices on side.

Note: No pictures of this dish. My husband loves it so much that as soon as it is off of the stove and onto a serving plate, it goes into his tummy. Next time, I will remember to take a picture of it before I serving.


Thank you for visiting Food Garden and Fun. I would love to hear from you. I appreciate your time to leave feedback and help me improve this blog.