Kitchari Recipe

Ayurvedic healers say that Kitchari (split yellow mung dhal cooked with rice) is a golden food for the sick.

I remember as a child when my mum used to cook kitchari for lunch on Sundays. I now realize that it was her way of getting the family detoxed for the new week.

Kitchari is a one dish meal that combines rice, mung dhal, turmeric and salt cooked in ghee. It's a great source of protein with the mung dhal, excellent for detoxification and de-aging of cells. Kitchari is balancing for all three Doshas (Vata, Pitta and Kapha). It is a complete food that is easy to digest, detoxifies the body, gives strength and vitality.

Kitchari Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup basmati rice
½ cup split mung dal
2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds/powder
1 pinches hing (asafotida)
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon salt 4 cups water (add up to 6 cups for soupy consistency)

Directions:

Wash the rice and mung dal well. In a saucepan, heat the ghee and sauté the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, tumeric and hing for a few minutes. Add the rice, Mung dal and salt. Sauté over low heat for a few minutes. Add boiling water and bring to boil. Stir and cover to simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes. Cook until tender and serve warm.

Love Fez