Kitchari : A New Favorite in Your Kitchen
Make kitchari when you are sick, when you are sad, when you are cleansing, for your kids or a loved one when they are under the weather, when you can’t be bothered to cook, when you come back from a long trip, when you need to regain your strength, but maybe not for dinner on a first date. You’ll be surprised how warming and comforting it is, and pretty soon it’ll be the stuff your cravings are made of. I like to make a batch after I have been traveling or during stressful time, or at the change of the seasons, just to help level set my digestion. As we enter Autumn, I enjoy this for a few days in a row. Warm, soothing and simple to make!
This recipe makes enough kitchari for 3 or 4 meals. You can play with the mixture of spices. Many people prefer this recipe when the spices are doubled, or even tripled, as I do. I also like to brown the spices in a pan, either dry, or with a few teaspoons of ghee as well.
*A note on kitchari for cleansing: During a cleanse, it is recommended that the kitchari be made with less or no ghee. Because ghee is a fat, it will slow the shift into fat metabolism. The less ghee you use, the deeper the cleanse. Outside of cleansing, as part of a regular diet, it is important to use ghee.
Ingredients:
Note: See additional ingredients for garnishes and variations below
- 1 cup split yellow mung dahl beans*
- ¼ – ½ cup long grain white or white basmati rice
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger root
- 1 tsp each: black mustard seeds, cumin, and turmeric powder
- ½ tsp each: coriander powder, fennel and fenugreek seeds
- 3 cloves
- 3 bay leaves
- 7-10 cup water
- ½ tsp salt (I prefer rock salt or Himalayan salt)
- 1 small handful chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- Can add steamed vegetables or lean meat when not cleansing, or for extra blood sugar support during a cleanse
*Split yellow mung dahl beans are available at Asian or Indian grocery stores, as well as many specialty markets. Different spellings include mung or just dahl. Please note that you do not want the whole mung beans, which are green, or yellow split peas.
Directions:
- Wash split yellow mung beans and rice together until water runs clear.
- In a pre-heated large pot, dry roast the ginger and all the spices (except the bay leaves) on medium heat for a few minutes. This dry-roasting will enhance the flavor.
- Add dahl and rice and stir, coating the rice and beans with the spices.
- Add water and bay leaves and bring to a boil.
- Boil for 10 minutes.
- Turn heat to low, cover pot and continue to cook until dahl and rice become soft (about 30-40 minutes).
- Add cilantro leaves just before serving.
- Optional: add salt or Bragg’s cider vinegar to taste.
- Enjoy!
For weak digestion, gas or bloating: Before starting to prepare the kitchari, first par-boil the split mung dahl (cover with water and bring to boil), drain, and rinse. Repeat 2-3 times. OR, soak beans overnight and then drain. Cook as directed.
Variations:
To change the texture of Kitchari, you can cook the dahl and rice separately, adding them together at the end. This will give you a less soft-textured end product. You can also adjust the amount of water used to create a thinner soup or thicker “stew”. You can feel free to add vegetables such as carrots (boil in when cooking dahl and rice) to create more of a stew texture.
To change the level of protein: change the proportion of dahl to rice, using more dahl. Reverse this to use more rice if you want a kitchari that is easier to digest. You can also add a little boiled chicken to the kitchari for a protein boost in one of your meals during the day.
To change the flavor: The base of kitchari is simple and cleansing, but you can adjust the base spices to taste. Just keep things light on the salt. Too much salt will prevent effective flushing of fluids and toxins from the body.
Garnishes: The above recipe uses cilantro as a garnish, which I personally love, and which is ideal for a Pitta constitution, but you have options beyond (or instead of) cilantro as well. Try adding or substituting shredded coconut (this is found in the freezer section of many grocery stores, just check labels to avoid any added sugar or preservatives; an Asian or Indian market is often the best source for simple unprocessed shredded coconut). A squeeze of fresh lime juice is also a refreshing add-on to Kitchari.
Non-cleanse variations: A “cleanse” is designed specifically to allow for easy digestion and re-balancing of your digestion, so sticking to the original recipe above is ideal for those times. However, if you just want to enjoy a comforting bowl of Kitchari, you can also consider making it with different types of lentils or other grains instead of rice, such as barley or quinoa.