Wash and soak the rice and dal together for about 20 minutes.
In the meantime, chop all the vegetables and have them ready.
Press the saute function in the instant pot and add 2 Tablespoon of oil or ghee to the inner pot.
Add the whole spices - 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds, 1 bay leaf, 1 inch piece of cinnamon, 4 cloves, 2 cardamom and ½ teaspoon of black pepper. Let the spices become aromatic (about 30 seconds).
Add the sliced onions and saute until translucent. Now add the grated ginger and garlic. I have used freshly grated ginger and garlic, but we can use store bought ginger garlic paste as well.
Now add the rest of the vegetables. I have used tomato, potato, carrot and green peas.
Add the spice powders - ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder, 1 ½ teaspoon of red chili powder and 1 teaspoon of garam masala. Also add the salt needed. Give it a good mix and let it fry for 2 minutes.
In the meantime, drain the soaked rice and dal and add it to the instant pot. Mix everything well together and add the needed water. We like our khichdi mushy and soft, so I add extra water when making it. Check the rice you are using and add water accordingly. I used 1 cup of sona masoori rice and ½ cup of whole masoor dal. So I used about 5 cups of water.
Close the instant pot and set the valve to sealing. Turn the instant pot off from the saute mode. I cooked mine on rice mode and it was perfect.
Let the pressure release naturally and then open the instant pot and check the masala khichdi. At this stage check for seasoning and also check the consistency of the khichdi. If you like yours even more looser in consistency, add more hot water as needed and mix well.
Serve the vegetable masala khichdi hot with a drizzle of ghee.