Kitchari

Kitchari (also spelled kitcharee, khichadi, kitchadee, kitchari and in many other variants) is one of the staple healing foods in Ayurveda. It is believed to balance the Doshas, support the tissues, detoxify the body and purify the digestive system. In India, it is used to nourish the elderly and sick, and it is often a baby’s first food since it is easy to digest. It also used for mono-diet fasting at retreats and cleanses, where participants eat kitchari for every meal for a couple of days to give the digestive system a much-needed rest while still providing the essential nutrients.

This Ayurvedic ‘chicken soup’ is perfect for when you are feeling under the weather, exhausted after a long trip or in need of a cleanse or a comforting hug. It’s a simple one-pot dish that makes it quick and easy to add a thousand-year-old healing food and all of its benefits to our modern diet. You can easily customise it with your Dosha’s pacifying herbs, spices and vegetables. Lightly spiced, it makes a delicious breakfast porridge and a staple for the cleanse reset (see here).

Mung beans are one of Ayurveda’s superfoods: Tridoshic (see here) and Sattvic (see here), easily digestible and great for removing toxic residues from the intestines. Similarly, basmati rice is also considered balancing and Tridoshic, making them a perfect match. When combined, mung dal and basmati rice provide a ‘complete’ meal with all the fibre, protein and nourishment the body needs in a very soothing and digestible form. You can make it with brown basmati rice and whole mung beans (just make sure you soak them overnight!), but if you are feeling unwell or have a weak digestion, I recommend following this recipe to keep it soothing and nourishing. This makes one very generous portion; to enjoy this the Ayurvedic way – without waste and without reheating – start with the measurements below and tweak to suit. For example, you can reduce the basmati and mung beans to 50g (¼ cup) each and add a touch less of the flavourings.

Serves 1-2

70g (⅓ cup) white basmati rice, soaked for 1 hour

70g (⅓ cup) mung dal (or mung beans, soaked overnight)

2 tbsp ghee

1 bay leaf

pinch of asafoetida

370ml (1½ cups) water

1 tsp cumin seeds

5cm (2in) piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped, or ¼ tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground turmeric

¼ tsp black pepper

pinch of sea salt, to taste

fresh coriander, to serve (optional)

1 Rinse the rice and mung dal three times.

2 In a heavy-bottomed pan, melt half the ghee and sauté the bay leaf and asafoetida. Add the mung dal, rice and water and simmer for 20–25 minutes, lid on, until tender. Add more water as necessary.

3 In a separate pan, make a tarka. Melt the remaining ghee, then add the cumin seeds and cook gently until they start to pop. Add the ginger and sauté until golden brown. Add the turmeric and sauté for a few more minutes.

4 Add the tarka to the rice and dal mixture. Cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper and serve with fresh coriander, if desired.

TIP

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For weak digestion, skip the tarka and cook the ginger, cumin and turmeric in the first stage, then add more water to make it soupy and overcook for another 10 minutes.