Kitchari is food. It is a cleansing Ayurvedic meal. I eat it when my digestion needs a break.
The recipe shared here is a type of kitchari I made on New Year’s Day 2019. I used sprouted mung beans because that is what I had on hand, but mung dahl beans (split yellow mung beans) are what I typically use and what I have seen in most recipes.
Serves: 2
Cooktime: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup basmati rice
- 1 cup of sprouted mung beans
- 2 kale leaves
- 1/4 cup shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup butternut squash (from a frozen bag)
- 2 tbsp green onions
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tsp fresh grated ginger
- 3 tbs ghee
Spices:
- 1/2 tsp of winter spice mix (from The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook)
- 1/2 tsp of everyday savory spice mix (from the same book)
- 1/4 tsp of coriander
- 1/4 tsp of cumin
- 1/4 tsp fennel
- 1 pinch of hing (asafetida)
In a 3 quart saucepan, heat the ghee and stir in ginger. Let the ginger simmer for about 30 seconds then add the dry spices. Continue to stir until the spices become fragrant (about another 30 seconds). Add the rice and mung beans. Stir the rice and beans until they are coated with the seasonings. Then add the water.
In a separate saucepan, bring the vegetable broth to a boil and then reduce it to medium heat.
Now, back to the saucepan with the rice and beans: When the water comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium heat. Let the rice cook for 10-15 minutes, without stirring. Then, once the rice begins to get larger, fold in the kale, butternut squash, carrots, and half of the green onions. When you stir or move the rice, do so gently. Continue to cook the rice for 15-20 more minutes, adding the vegetable broth as needed. Adding 2 or 3 tablespoons of broth at a time as the rice gets drier will help keep the rice from sticking.
When serving, garnish with green onions. Enjoy!
The ingredients for kitchari will need to change depending on the season. For example, in the summer you will want to garnish spicy meals with cilantro because of its cooling properties.
Resources
There are lots of great recipes for kitchari and lots of great information on it out there. Here are a few awesome resources:
- Banyan Botanicals – This website has a great article on kitchari. They even share a video and a recipe at this link.
- The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook: A Seasonal Guide to Eating and Living Well by Kate O’Donnell – A great book for Ayurvedic cooking and seasonal eating.
- Joyful Belly – A very good website on the Ayurvedic diet. They have an article on kitchari that says, “If your belly feels sluggish after too many treats, Kitchari is an easy way to cleanse your digestion and restore freshness.”
If you have any questions about my kitchari recipe, please feel free to ask. Let me know how this turns out for you.
Namaste,
Diana
