Kitchari is an ancient Ayurvedic recipe that is nourishing, cleansing and grounding. It’s everything you could want in a single dish. It detoxes the mind and body and balances all the doshas. Eating a dish made from rice in Western society is usually hardly the key to weight loss and health, however ancient knowledge is correct in this one single dish being the reliever of most problems. In Ayurveda, people frequently execute a cleanse with a mono-diet of just Kitchari for 2-3 meals of the day for between 1-5 days straight. If you have any kind of digestion issues, having a small bowl of freshly made kitchari for each meal will help reset your system.
It’s delicious and nourishing, and our family enjoy this dish at all times of the year. You can tweak the recipe however you like really, adding in seasonal vegetables, and if you desire garlic or onion. Traditionally this dish isn’t made with garlic, onion or vegetables though.
Make it fresh in the morning in a large pot to enjoy all day. When making this dish, please take time to put some love into it. Wash the grains mindfully, and grate the spices with care. Take time to stir gently and enjoy sitting down with no additional noise or technology. Ayurveda warns off freezing, and when you reheat this dish, add in some more ghee and a little more water each time. In the cooler months I simply leave this on the stove with the lid on to cool in between meals. Mung Daal can be hard to get a hold of, and is best soaked for a few hours or overnight before cooking. As always go organic and fresh with ingredients where you can. I eat is as is for the cleansing properties, but Arran enjoys this dish with hot buttered toast or naan or roti.
Let’s be honest, it does not look that appetising, but I promise you it is tasty!!
This recipe is enough for 6-7 bowls of Kitchari. It takes about 20-30 mins to cook.
Heat 1 very large tablespoon of ghee in a heavy pot. Add in 1 grated teaspoon of fresh ginger and let gently fry off and then add in 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon of powdered turmeric (2 tsp fresh grated turmeric is best but can be hard to get a hold of) and a pinch of cinnamon. Then add in 1 cup mung daal and 1 cup basmati rice and stir through the spices. Add in 6-7 cups of cold filtered water and cover with the lid and let simmer for 20 minutes or until soft and porridge like. In a little skillet, dry fry 1 tablespoon of mustard seeds and 1 tablespoon of fennel seeds and then add this to the cooked Kitchari. Add in fistfuls of chopped fresh baby spinach and 1 big handful of peas (freshly podded or frozen) and 1 handful of torn up coriander leaves. Cook gently for 2 more minutes.
Serve in bowls with fresh lemon and sea salt for people to season as they please.