Kitchari

This is my family’s go-to kitchari recipe! Kitchari is a one-pot basmati rice and mung bean porridge type thing. We learned about this dish when on an Ayurvedic retreat at a yoga centre called Kripalu (highly recommend, its one of my favourite places on earth and the food is amazing!) I wanted to share this recipe with you because kitchari is the perfect meal on a cold day or if you are feeling a bit under the weather. Kitchari is an important part of a Panchakarma, which is an Ayurvedic cleansing and rejuvenating program for the body, mind and spirit. In my family, we like to use kitchari as part of a therapeutic diet, where we eat kitchari and bone broth for a day and up to a week or more to help heal and reset the body as this dish is so nourishing and easily digested.

Ingredients

• 1 cup basmati rice

• 1/2 cup yellow split mung beans

• 2 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil

• 2 teaspoon ground turmeric

• 2 teaspoons cumin seed

• 1 teaspoon coriander powder

• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon brown mustard seed

• 1/2 teaspoon Fenugreek

• Pinch of asafoetida

• Sea salt and pepper, to taste

• 6 cups of water

Instructions

1. Wash the rice and mung beans and soak in water overnight (or a minimum of 12 hours to remove phytic acid). Drain the soaked water and wash the rice and beans again before using.

2. In a medium saucepan heat the ghee. Once melted, add the spices (turmeric, cumin, coriander, ginger, mustard seed, fenugreek and asafoetida) and saute for a couple of minutes until fragrant.

3. Add the rice and mungs beans to the pan, saute for an additional two minutes.

4. Add 6 cups of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 30-40 minutes or until the water is absorbed and the mung beans are tender.

5. Season with salt and pepper and top with your favourite ingredients!

*Notes: I know that many people don’t have fenugreek or asafoetida in their kitchen so feel free to omit those two ingredients, but they do add amazing flavour!

Breakfast Kitchari: To serve, I like to stew apples and add them on top. To make this, heat one tablespoon of ghee in a saucepan and add one chopped apple, a handful of chopped almonds, some ground cinnamon, ginger and cardamon. Heat over medium-low until the apples are soft and fragrant. Then I like to serve it with some almond or peanut butter.

Lunch/Dinner Kitchari: In the final minutes of cooking or when reheating, I like to add fresh cut tomatoes and kale or spinach to the pan. Then I serve the kitchari with avocado for some healthy fats. I also love to pour over some extra melted ghee and top with a cilantro mint chutney.

Another favourite topping of mine is a cilantro mint chutney. So here’s a recipe!

Cilantro Mint Chutney: In a food processor or blender add 2 cups of cilantro, 1 cup of mint, 1 clove of garlic, juice of 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon maple syrup, 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger, salt, pepper, and water (enough to get the consistency you want, but start slow). Then blend and put it on top of your kitchari! There will definitely be leftovers.