A Symphony in a Bowl: My Favourite Recipe

A Symphony in a Bowl: My Favourite Recipe

There are recipes we inherit, recipes we stumble upon, and recipes that grow upon us like faithful friends of the soul. Amongst the many delightful dishes that my taste buds have encountered, there is one recipe that never fails to awaken both my appetite and my heart — a humble bowl of khichdi.

At first glance, it may appear as nothing more than rice and lentils cooked together. Yet, much like life itself, simplicity often hides a profound philosophy. Khichdi is not merely food — it is harmony. It is the blending of two humble ingredients that would otherwise stand alone, yet when united in warmth, they produce a melody of comfort, nourishment, and peace.

When the grains of rice soften in the company of lentils, spices whisper gently into the pot, and clarified butter (ghee) slides in like a golden blessing, the dish transforms into a symphony — soothing, soulful, and timeless. To me, it symbolises what the Upanishads often reminded seekers: truth lies not in grandeur, but in stillness, in balance, in the merging of opposites.

Philosophically, khichdi carries the essence of equanimity. It neither shouts with the fiery exuberance of exotic cuisines nor hides in blandness. Instead, it teaches us the middle path — the Buddha’s wisdom of moderation. It warms the body on rainy afternoons, comforts the soul on days of illness, and anchors the mind in moments of fatigue. In a way, this dish is the culinary version of a hymn — gentle, healing, and universal.

Cooking it is as meditative as partaking in it. Washing the rice and lentils feels like rinsing one’s worries away. As they simmer together, the rising steam curls like incense in prayer, filling the kitchen with a fragrance of homeliness. Each stir of the ladle reminds me that patience, like fire beneath the pot, transforms the raw into the refined.

This favourite recipe of mine is more than nourishment; it is a philosophy plated. It reassures me that in a world full of complexities, the simplest things often sustain us the most. It humbly whispers that life, too, can be made wholesome when diverse elements — work and rest, joy and sorrow, solitude and companionship — are blended with care and love.

And so, in the quiet company of this dish, I often discover the eternal truth: happiness lies not in feasts of extravagance, but in the soulful embrace of simplicity.

In steaming bowls my solace lies,
Where lentils meet the rice so wise.
A humble hymn, a sacred song,
Of balance kept when days feel long.

A spoonful warm, the spirit sings,
Life’s deepest joy in simplest things.