Cleansing Kitchari Bowl Recipe
Are you looking for a warm, nurturing meal which is super easy to make, and feels like a hug in a bowl?
Look no further!
Kitchari is, in my opinion, just that.
This dish is simple, nutritious, easy to prepare and digest, and according to the Indian traditional medicine system of Ayurveda, it is a healing food.
It is a perfect to eat when you have been unwell, if you are feeling tired or run-down, and want some comforting, healthy nourishment. As well as being healthy and healing, the Ayurvedic medicine that is kitchari, is also classed as a cleansing recipe, which means when your digestive system has been working hard to digest an excess of heavy foods, this meal gives it a welcome reset and helps to aid digestive processes.
Kitchari is often recommended as part of the meal-plan during Ayurvedic cleansing regimes (such as Panchakarma), and as the first food after some advanced Yoga cleansing practices.
There are many recipes for this dish, but this is my favourite so far, which has evolved from the various versions I have tried over the years.
You may wish to alter the recipe depending on what is available to you. Particularly if your spice selection is missing a few from the list below, don’t let that put you off making it, you can still try with just turmeric and ginger to start with.
Traditionally this is made without vegetables, but I like to add them as this makes a more complete meal, and is easier than cooking vegetables separately!
Here is the recipe I have most recently been enjoying…
Ingredients
Ghee or coconut oil for cooking
1 cup white basmati rice
1/3 cup of mung dahl (peeled split peas)
1 teaspoon each of these spices:
o  Cumin seeds
o  Mustard seeds
o  Fennel seeds
o  Black seeds
o  Cumin powder
Turmeric powder (1/2 – 1 teaspoon)
A couple of slices of fresh ginger (optional)
Vegetables (chopped into 1cm-ish pieces)
Water
Salt to taste
A couple of things to note about the ingredients…
Spices: I like the above combination, but when I made this recently I didn’t have all of them, so adapted the recipe by adding aniseeds instead of fennel seeds, and left out black seeds. It was still delicious!
Play with the spices available to you, and what you like. A good base spice to start with is turmeric.
Vegetables: these vary depending on what I have, but often includes carrots (1-2), squash (1/3 of a small butternut), and courgette (1/2).
If you have it you can throw in some fresh spinach during the last couple of minutes of cooking so it wilts slightly.
It’s also great served with chopped fresh coriander on top (as I did this time with a bit of chopped avocado and some pumpkin seeds sprinkled on top). You can pimp it however you like, but the basis of the main recipe is one which is simple, and easy to digest.
Instead of adding vegetables to the pot, I sometimes serve kitchari with a side of steamed vegetables (like broccoli or red cabbage). This can be nice with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice on top.
Method
I like to soak the rice and mung dahl together in water overnight, this is totally optional, but can make the dish even easier to digest.
NB: Pulses / legumes (lentils & beans), which have not been soaked before cooking, are a little more difficult to digest (and can cause more gassy after effects!). Soaking and rinsing well before cooking can solve this.
If you decide to soak them then at the time of cooking strain and rinse well with fresh water. If not soaking, then just rinse in water before adding to the pan.
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Add ghee or coconut oil to a saucepan on medium heat (measurements are not really my thing, but roughly a teaspoon or two will usually do it). Gently fry seed spices for a minute until they begin to sizzle slightly (but not burn), then add other spices, fry for a few seconds until aromatic, then add rice and mung dahl and mix until spices are blended in.
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Add water (more than you would add for cooking rice, again, measurements, but you'll begin to learn how much water you like to add), bring to the boil, turn down heat, cover and simmer for a minimum of 30-minutes until rice and dahl are both cooked and quite soft in texture. You can cook this dish for longer, and as long as there is enough water so it doesn't get dry, continuing to cook it slowly on a low heat will be totally fine too.
Add more water as required, the consistency can be anything from thick porridge to quite liquid and almost soupy, depending on how you like it. Towards the end of cooking stir to avoid it sticking to the pan.
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After about 20 minutes add any harder vegetables like carrots and squash, nearer the end add softer vegetable like courgette (I sometimes also add peas). Cook until vegetables are cooked (softish but with a little bite still).
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Add salt to taste (I like it salty).
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Serve with a spoon of ghee, and top with fresh coriander (both optional).
NB: Ghee is a type of clarified butter which is often used in Ayurvedic recipes, and in some Ayurvedic cleansing techniques. If you decide to get some ghee, make sure you buy a pure one with nothing added (check the ingredients and get one which only lists butter).
I also love to add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice (lemon is the friend of your liver and also aids digestion!).
I really hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. Especially when I feel tired, and my body is asking for some simple yet nurturing home cooked food.
When you try it, I'd love to know which spices you end up adding and your adaptations.
Thanks for reading!
Much love,
Helen
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