 | A staple in Ayurvedic cooking is a nutritious dish called Kitchari (Kit-cha-ree). It is a porridge like rice and bean meal that is nourishing and easy to digest. It traditionally combines white basmati rice, split mung beans, herbs, and optional vegetables like carrots, celery, green beans, dark leafy greens, and zucchini. It is most often utilized during times of Ayurvedic cleansing and rejuvenation because of it's ability to balance one's agni (digestive fire). Kitchari offers a dynamic combination of carbohydrates, protein, and digestive supporting herbs for easy nutritional assimilation. There are many recipes available for kitchari, and it can easily be adjusted to meet the needs of your body/mind type. Here is one of my favorite ways of making it. Enjoy! Prep Time: 10 min / Cook Time: 35 min |
Organic Ingredients
1 cup Mung Dal (beans that are split/yellow)
1 cup White Basmati Rice
7 cups water
2 Tbs. Ghee
1 inch Fresh Ginger Root
1 tsp. Cumin Powder
1 tsp. Coriander Powder
1 tsp. Fennel Powder
1 tsp. Turmeric Powder
1/2 tsp. Mustard Seed Powder
1/4 tsp. Asafoetida Powder
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper Ground
1 tsp. Rock, Mineral or Sea Salt (add more if desired)
3 Carrots
5 Celery Stocks
1 Zucchinis
3 Handfuls of cut and washed Kale, Chard, or Spinach
*Condiment Options:
Cilantro, Fresh Lemon or Lime, Braggs Liquid Aminos (soy sauce alternative), Ghee, Yogurt
Preparation
• Soak the mung beans overnight in fresh water (leave out on counter uncovered).
• On the day of cooking, wash rice and dal in at least 2 changes of water and set aside.
• Measure spices/salt/pepper into small bowl. Peel and then chop the ginger finely.
• Melt ghee in a large cooking pot on low until liquid.
• Sauté the ginger in ghee first, then add the spices and mix until blended well.
• Add the pre-rinsed mung dal and rice. Sauté for 1 or 2 minutes.
• Add water, bring to boil, cover and then simmer on medium for 30 minutes or until the dal is about
2/3 cooked. Stir occasionally to keep contents from sticking to pan.
• While mung and rice are cooking, prepare vegetables by washing them before peeling and slicing
carrots thinly or into small pieces and slicing celery. Set these two aside.
• Cut zucchini into cubes and keep separate.
• Once mung/rice are cooked 2/3, add carrots and celery. Stir to mix, adding extra water if required.
Recover and set burner to low.
• A few minutes before it looks done, add zucchini and darky leafy greens. Stir well, and recover.
• Cook until the dish reaches a porridge consistency with cooked vegetables.
• Add desired condiments to balance out the 6 tastes (sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent).
Notes:
*If taking on the go, store in a thermos to keep it warm.
*Place leftovers in the fridge and reheat on the stove when ready for another serving, noting that leftovers have less prana/life energy the longer they sit before consuming.
*If desired, add a baked sweet potato or root vegetable to your meal to increase the sweet/heavy taste. Set oven to 450 degrees, cover in foil, bake for 45-60 minutes. Add maple syrup or ghee for extra taste.
1 cup Mung Dal (beans that are split/yellow)
1 cup White Basmati Rice
7 cups water
2 Tbs. Ghee
1 inch Fresh Ginger Root
1 tsp. Cumin Powder
1 tsp. Coriander Powder
1 tsp. Fennel Powder
1 tsp. Turmeric Powder
1/2 tsp. Mustard Seed Powder
1/4 tsp. Asafoetida Powder
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper Ground
1 tsp. Rock, Mineral or Sea Salt (add more if desired)
3 Carrots
5 Celery Stocks
1 Zucchinis
3 Handfuls of cut and washed Kale, Chard, or Spinach
*Condiment Options:
Cilantro, Fresh Lemon or Lime, Braggs Liquid Aminos (soy sauce alternative), Ghee, Yogurt
Preparation
• Soak the mung beans overnight in fresh water (leave out on counter uncovered).
• On the day of cooking, wash rice and dal in at least 2 changes of water and set aside.
• Measure spices/salt/pepper into small bowl. Peel and then chop the ginger finely.
• Melt ghee in a large cooking pot on low until liquid.
• Sauté the ginger in ghee first, then add the spices and mix until blended well.
• Add the pre-rinsed mung dal and rice. Sauté for 1 or 2 minutes.
• Add water, bring to boil, cover and then simmer on medium for 30 minutes or until the dal is about
2/3 cooked. Stir occasionally to keep contents from sticking to pan.
• While mung and rice are cooking, prepare vegetables by washing them before peeling and slicing
carrots thinly or into small pieces and slicing celery. Set these two aside.
• Cut zucchini into cubes and keep separate.
• Once mung/rice are cooked 2/3, add carrots and celery. Stir to mix, adding extra water if required.
Recover and set burner to low.
• A few minutes before it looks done, add zucchini and darky leafy greens. Stir well, and recover.
• Cook until the dish reaches a porridge consistency with cooked vegetables.
• Add desired condiments to balance out the 6 tastes (sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent).
Notes:
*If taking on the go, store in a thermos to keep it warm.
*Place leftovers in the fridge and reheat on the stove when ready for another serving, noting that leftovers have less prana/life energy the longer they sit before consuming.
*If desired, add a baked sweet potato or root vegetable to your meal to increase the sweet/heavy taste. Set oven to 450 degrees, cover in foil, bake for 45-60 minutes. Add maple syrup or ghee for extra taste.
