Take ½ cup of yellow moong dal, wash nicely and soak for about 30 minutes or so.

Also, take 1.5 cups of regular, short grain Basmati rice, wash them and soak for about half an hour as well.

Now, heat 3 tsp of ghee (clarified butter) in a pressure cooker. When the ghee melts and is hot, add ½ tsp of cumin seeds, 2 pieces of green cardamom, 1 piece of star anise, and 2 pieces of bay leaves in it and sauté them for about half a minute or so on a medium flame.

Then, add 1 piece of finely chopped medium-sized onion to it. Stir and fry it until it turns slightly golden brown in color.

Now, add 1 tsp of ginger garlic paste to the fried onions and cook for about 20 seconds or so.

At this stage, add ½ tsp of turmeric powder, 1 tsp of Kashmiri red chili powder, 1 tsp of coriander seed powder, ½ tsp of cumin seed powder, and 2 pieces of dry red chilies (whole) to it. Stir and fry them for a minute or so on a medium flame.

At this point, add 2 tbsp of water and mix it nicely with the masala to prevent it from burning.

Now, add a piece of finely chopped medium-sized tomato to the masala along with ½ tsp of salt. Mix it nicely with the masala and let it cook for a couple of minutes or so, until the tomato pieces become soft. (Pro tip: Adding salt along with the tomato pieces help them become soft faster).

Then, add 500 grams of boneless chicken to it and mix nicely with the masala. Turn the flame to high and fry until it releases moisture.

At this stage, add the soaked moong dal and rice to the ingredients in the pressure cooker. Mix them all very nicely and cook it on a high flame for about 2 minutes.

Now, add 1 tbsp of roughly chopped fresh coriander leaves and 1 tsp of garam masala powder to it. Mix them and let it cook for a minute or so.

Finally, add 3.5 cups of water to the khichdi along with salt to taste and give it a nice final mix. Cover the lid of the pressure cooker and cook it on a medium flame for up to 3 whistles. Switch off the flame when done and let the pressure cooker sit until it cools down sufficiently. (Pro tip: The quantity of water should be slightly double the amount of ingredients in the pressure cooker for best results).

Remove the lid and remove the whole spices and bay leaves. Finally, give the chicken khichdi a nice mix from the sides very carefully.

Transfer it in portions onto a serving bowl, put a tablespoon of ghee on it.

Your tasty and spicy homemade chicken khichdi is ready to enjoy. Finally, put a few freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.