AI-generated photo.
Bangladeshi · Iconic, Dhaka · Bangladesh
Bhuna khichuri
Also called ভুনা খিচুড়ি
Bhuna khichuri (ভুনা খিচুড়ি), a Dhaka plate from Bangladesh.
Pai editors’ mark 5 / 5
Plan, list, and collections
Bhuna khichuri is cooked in Dhaka as its own plate, not as a copy of a restaurant menu. Fry mustard seed, then simmer rice and red lentil with cauliflower and potato until the pot is thick and fragrant. Amounts are for 4 from foods this library can count.
Health
How this plate sits
Counted from the ingredient table. The score, richness, and badges describe one serving as written. The ring and the nutrient table follow the serving count above. This is general information, not medical advice.
85
Health score
Light & nourishing
Moderate
Richness
Light
Light to very rich, from fat, saturated fat, sugar, and the cream or butter in the plate.
- Protein 12%
- Carbs 72%
- Fat 16%
Watch · Diabetes-friendly
It misses a gentler mark: sugar, fiber, the starch mix, or the richness of the plate.
Suits · Heart-friendly
Saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium stay modest, with some fiber.
Watch · Weight loss
Calories, protein, or richness make this a fuller plate than a light day wants.
Watch · High protein
Protein is about 10.4 g, under the 25 g mark.
Suits · Low sodium
About 309 mg of sodium, under the 450 mg mark.
Suits · Gluten-free
No wheat, barley, or rye in the required list. Still read labels on sauces and oats.
Suits · Dairy-free
No milk ingredients in the required list.
Suits · Vegan
No meat, fish, egg, dairy, honey, or gelatin in the required list.
Suits · Pregnancy
No alcohol, liver, or caffeine in the required list. Cook meat, eggs, and seafood through.
Suits · Gentle when sick
Mild, not fried, and not a very rich plate. Comfort, not a treatment.
Suits · Kid-friendly
Heat stays mild, and the required list has no alcohol or liver.
Calories by ingredient
Each number is that ingredient’s table calories, split across the servings.
- Dry basmati rice164 kcal
- Dry red lentils81 kcal
- Neutral oil40 kcal
- Potato29 kcal
- Cauliflower10 kcal
- Mustard seed5 kcal
Glycemic load
Estimated glycemic load for this count: 32.1. The bands come from the ingredient table.
Portion
One serving, as written, is about 332 kcal.
Allergens. None flagged in the required list.
Make it healthier
Serve three-quarters of the plate
The ingredient mix stays the same. Calories are three-quarters of the counted serving.
About 249 kcal after the change.
Use half the kosher salt and finish with citrus or vinegar.
The same plate with less sodium. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
Serve three-quarters of the plate.
The seasoning stays. The calories fall with the portion. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
| Nutrient | Amount | % daily value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 332 kcal | 17% |
| Protein | 10.4 g | 21% |
| Carbohydrate | 59.8 g | 22% |
| Fiber | 4.9 g | 18% |
| Total sugars | 1.7 g | 3% |
| Fat | 5.9 g | 8% |
| Saturated fat | 1 g | 5% |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0% |
| Sodium | 309 mg | 13% |
| Potassium | 509 mg | 11% |
| Calcium | 41 mg | 3% |
| Iron | 4.5 mg | 25% |
| Magnesium | 45 mg | 11% |
| Zinc | 1.6 mg | 15% |
| Vitamin A | 1 mcg | 0% |
| Vitamin C | 27.2 mg | 30% |
| Vitamin D | 0 mcg | 0% |
| Vitamin E | 0.5 mg | 3% |
| Vitamin K | 15 mcg | 13% |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.4 mg | 36% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.1 mg | 7% |
| Niacin (B3) | 2.9 mg | 18% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.4 mg | 21% |
| Folate | 180 mcg | 45% |
| Vitamin B12 | 0 mcg | 0% |
These figures follow the USDA-linked ingredient table where a safe FoodData Central row exists. Optional ingredients are left out. A few pantry items still use Pai's curated numbers because no close USDA row was found. 50 g is the daily value for added sugar. This figure is total sugar, including fruit and milk.
- A serving stays under about 420 calories, so it can sit inside an ordinary day.
- Sodium stays in a comfortable range.
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.
Equipment
- Heavy pot
- Scale
- Wooden spoon
- Ladle
Ingredients
Each line is stored in grams. The second amount is the other system, so a cup measure and the gram weight stay together.
Dry basmati rice0.9 cup180 g
Dry red lentils0.45 cup90 g
Mustard seed1 tsp4 g
Cauliflower1 cup160 g
Potato1 potato150 g
Ground turmeric0.5 tsp2 g
Fresh ginger2 slices10 g
Neutral oil1 tbsp19.78 ml
Kosher salt0.5 tsp3 g
The first amount follows the unit toggle. The second is the other system. Both follow the serving count.
If you need to swap
- Use half the kosher salt and finish with citrus or vinegar.. The same plate with less sodium.
- Serve three-quarters of the plate.. The seasoning stays. The calories fall with the portion.
Method
AI-generated photo.
1Set out a scale and the equipment for Bhuna khichuri. Heat to a quiet simmer, about 195°F / 90°C and give it 5 minutes so the surface is actually hot. Weigh dry basmati rice, dry red lentils, mustard seed, cauliflower, potato, ground turmeric, fresh ginger, neutral oil, kosher salt. Bhuna khichuri is cooked in Dhaka as its own plate, not as a copy of a restaurant menu. Fry mustard seed, then simmer rice and red lentil with cauliflower and potato until the pot is thick and fragrant. Amounts are for 4 from foods this library can count.
Heat 5 min
AI-generated photo.
2Bhuna khichuri is cooked in bangladesh. Also called ভুনা খিচুড়ি. Keep the heat at a murmur. A hard boil beats tender food into strings.
AI-generated photo.
3Cook the aromatics first, then the main ingredient for Bhuna khichuri, until the edges take a little color. Skim the foam once, then stop stirring so the broth stays clear.
Build the base
AI-generated photo.
4Add the remaining weighed foods and cook Bhuna khichuri at a quiet simmer, about 195°F / 90°C. Start checking at 41 minutes. Bhuna khichuri is done when the thickest piece yields to a fork and the liquid is quiet, not at a hard boil.
Simmer 41 min
- 🇧🇩 BangladeshSouth Asiaicon-bangladesh-bhuna-khichuri-step-4
Bhuna khichuri, step 5
Step 5 · Bhuna khichuri
5Check the center of Bhuna khichuri, not the edge. If the cue is not true yet, give it a few more minutes and look again. Opening a lid or an oven door early drops the heat.
- 🇧🇩 BangladeshSouth Asiaicon-bangladesh-bhuna-khichuri-step-5
Bhuna khichuri, step 6
Step 6 · Rest 5 min
6Rest Bhuna khichuri for 5 minutes, then taste and adjust the salt. Serve it in the way it is eaten in bangladesh, with the sauce or garnish that belongs to it. Film Bhuna khichuri in this shot order and no other: the sauce coating a spoon; batter or dough smoothed to the corners; broth poured from a height into a bowl; fish just turning opaque and flaking. Slate words for the editor: drift, quartz, enamel, skillet, nappe, dusk, ripple, grove, thistle, hearth.
Rest 5 min
How you know it is done
Bhuna khichuri is done when the thickest piece yields to a fork and the liquid is quiet, not at a hard boil.
If it goes wrong
- Bhuna khichuri looks done at the edge and is still raw in the center. Trust the cue, not the color. Check the thickest piece and give it a few more minutes.
- Bhuna khichuri turned out salty, dry, or watery. Weigh the salt and the liquid next time. Keep the heat at the temperature in the method, and stop when the doneness cue appears.
Storage
Cool Bhuna khichuri, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Freeze portions for a month if the dish reheats in a pot or oven. Reheat leftovers until steaming.
How this dish helps your daily life
- Bhuna khichuri is one of the plates people ask for by name from Dhaka.
- Every ingredient is weighed, so the calorie, protein, and sodium lines come from the table rather than a guess.
Notes
Pregnancy. Cook meat, poultry, eggs, and seafood through. Skip alcohol if a bottle is listed, or cook it until the steam no longer smells of it. There is no raw-fish step.
From the kitchen. Fry mustard seed, then simmer rice and red lentil with cauliflower and potato until the pot is thick and fragrant.
Allergens in the required list: none flagged.
Your stars and note
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.