Cleansing kitchari

 
Kitchari yellow.jpg

Kitchari is a tenant recipe in Ayurveda, what is prescribed to eat during the popular master cleanse: ‘Panchakarma‘. It’s also the perfect way to cleanse your body and bring balance back to your diet if you’re feeling sluggish, sick or have been splurging too much during vacation or over the holidays.

Deliciously simple to make, Kitchari is made from a combination of mung dal (split mung beans), basmati rice, and digestive spices that cleanse your digestion tract and restore freshness. This dish is a complete protein, rich in fiber, and kid friendly too!

AIR: Yes I FIRE: Yes I EARTH: Yes

AIR + FIRE: Yes I FIRE + EARTH: Yes I AIR + EARTH: Yes I AIR + FIRE + EARTH: Yes

Serves 4  l  Difficulty: easy  l  Prep time: 10min  l Total time: 35min

Ingredients

* Kitchari Kit available here

  • 1/2 cup mung dal (these are yellow split mung beans and not the same as mung beans or lentils) buy here

  • 1/2 cup white Basmati rice

  • 3-4 tablespoons ghee buy here

  • 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida powder buy here

  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds buy here

  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder buy here

  • 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds buy here

  • 1/4 teaspoon carom seeds (ajwayn) buy here

  • 1 inch fresh ginger, chopped

  • 1 inch raw turmeric root

  • Mineral salt

  • 4 cups water

  • 2 lime wedges

  • Handful of fresh cilantro leaves

  • Steamed veggies of your liking as side

 

Steps 

  1. Mix the yellow mung dal and white rice in water, soak for min. of 30 minutes and drain.

  2. In a saucepan, at medium flame, heat the ghee until it becomes hot, then add the spices.

  3. When they start cracking, add the chopped ginger and turmeric. Cook until dark yellow, should take about 1 minute.

  4. Now add the yellow lentils and rice. Mix well, add salt and wait for 2 minutes.

  5. Add the 4 ups of water, mix again and cover the pan. Let it cook properly, mixing every so often for another 25 minutes. If the kitchari gets dry, add another 1 cup of water. Cook until the consistency of kitchari is semi-solid and you can barely differentiate the yellow mung dal lentils from the rice.

  6. Serve warm with 1 teaspoon of ghee, fresh cilantro, a generous pinch of salt, and a side of steamed green leafy veggies. Enjoy!

 
 
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