What is Bhuna Khichuri?

Toasted rice and moong dal cooked rich with ghee, whole spices, and caramelized onion — monsoon comfort from Dhaka.

Where does Bhuna Khichuri come from?

Bhuna Khichuri is a Bangladeshi dish from Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Can Bhuna Khichuri be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?

Yes. This Bhuna Khichuri recipe includes ingredient substitutions to make it vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, or egg-free — including several of those at once, such as gluten-free and dairy-free together.

How long does Bhuna Khichuri take to make?

About 55 minutes total (15 minutes prep, 40 minutes cooking), serving 4.

Bhuna Khichuri — a Dhaka, Bangladesh recipe

Name: Bhuna Khichuri
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Bangladeshi
Ingredients: 1.5 cups basmati or kalijira rice; 1 cup moong dal (split yellow lentils); 4 tbsp ghee; 2 onions, sliced; 2 tbsp ginger + garlic paste; 1 stick + 4 + 4 + 2 whole spices: cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, bay; 1 tsp each turmeric + cumin + red chili powder; 3 green chilies, slit; 1 cup frozen peas (optional)

Asia → 🇧🇩 Bangladesh → Dhaka

Bhuna Khichuri

Bangladeshi · easy · serves 4

prep 15 min · cook 40 min

~608 cal · 19g protein · 98g carbs · 15g fat (estimated, per serving)

🍽️

Golden bhuna khichuri topped with fried onions and green chilies

🇧🇩 Dhaka

When the monsoon closes over Dhaka, khichuri appears — the rain-day dish by national consensus. The bhuna style toasts the dal and fries everything down twice so the humble porridge turns rich, nutty, and celebration-worthy.

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Make it yours

Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.

🥕 Vegetarian

🌱 Vegan

🌾 Gluten-Free

🥛 Dairy-Free

🥜 Nut-Free

🥚 Egg-Free

Ingredients

Serves 4 —

•

1.5 cups basmati or kalijira rice

•

1 cup moong dal (split yellow lentils)

•

4 tbsp ghee

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2 onions, sliced

•

2 tbsp ginger + garlic paste

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1 stick + 4 + 4 + 2 whole spices: cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, bay

•

1 tsp each turmeric + cumin + red chili powder

•

3 green chilies, slit

•

1 cup frozen peas (optional)

Instructions

1

Dry-toast the moong dal in the pot until nutty and pale gold; set aside with the rinsed rice.

2

Fry the onions in ghee until bronze; scoop out half for topping.

3

Add whole spices, ginger-garlic, and ground spices to the pot; fry 2 minutes, then add rice and dal and bhuna — fry — 3 minutes more.

4

Add 5 cups hot water, salt, and green chilies. Boil, then cover on low 20 minutes, adding peas for the last 5.

5

Rest 10 minutes, fluff, and crown with the reserved fried onions. Rain optional but recommended.

Dhaka monsoon-day tradition.

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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination

📍

Dhaka. Monsoon city where khichuri means rain outside, comfort inside.

🗺️

Bangladesh. Delta country — rice, lentils, and monsoon comfort.

🌍

Asia. From street-cart woks to slow monastery kitchens.

The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.

👩‍🍳

Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker

Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →