Costly 'dal' makes 'khichdi' tasteless for the poor

Even khichdi is now a dream for the poor. The prices of rice and pulses - the main ingredients of khichdi - have risen by 100% in the last one year.

In December 2008, tur dal was selling at around Rs46 per kg in the retail market. Its price has doubled in the last one year and, currently, it is available at Rs90 per kg. The price of rice, too, has risen sharply. It was selling at around Rs20 per kg a year back but now its retail price is around Rs38 per kg.

“Earlier, we used to have khichdi thrice a week but now we cook it only once a fortnight. Rice is still affordable but the prices of tur dal and moong dal have gone through the roof,” said Pinky Shah, a homemaker.

For some people, however, moong dal is slightly more affordable than tur. “There’s no doubt that moong is also expensive but, compared to tur dal, it is slightly economical. We now use moong dal to make khichdi, but it is still very costly,” said Nimisha Jani, a homemaker. A year ago, moong dal was available in retail at around Rs43 per kg; now it is selling at around Rs84 per kg.

Jani said she had stopped purchasing food items in bulk for the whole month. “Now I buy pulses loose,” she said. “Earlier, I use to buy 10 kg at a time and that would last me for two to three months. But now I buy just 1 kg or 1.5 kg and that lasts me a week.”

Smitha Waghji has found a different solution to the price problem. She cooks dal a bit thinner. “I add more water to it and make it thin. My family has adjusted to this economy measure and we now eat ‘patli dal’,” she said.