Hi there,
have you ever heard of kitchari or kitcheree? If you are familiar with ayurveda you might have. In ayurveda, digestion and with that nutrition play a central role. One essential aspect is proper food combining. For example, according to ayurvedic principles it is recommended to eat fruit alone on an empty stomach and not after a big meal, as it would start to ferment, while your body needs time to digest the main meal.
Kitchari fits quite well into the ayurvedic kitchen, since it is easily digested. It is composed of rice, mung beans and different spices, cooked together – after all, kitchari means “mixture”. I really enjoy it now during the colder months, as it really warms my body from the inside.
Instead of mung beans I used red lentils in this ayurvedic kitchari recipe, cause everyone probably has them at home. Also with the veggies you can go with whatever you have on hand.
PrintAyurvedic Kitchari
- Total Time: 46 minutes
- Yield: 0 servings 1x
Description
Try this ayurvedic dish for dinner whenever you feel like you need something hearty and warming.
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice (100 g)
- 1/2 cup red lentils (100 g)
- 1 carrot, sliced
- 2 cups small cauliflower florets
- 1–2 large chard leaves, green part, chopped
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp minced ginger (or 1/2 tsp powder)
- 1 tsp minced turmeric (or 1/2 tsp powder)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- fresh coriander for garnish ((optional))
Instructions
- Bring 1 l (4 cups) of filtered water in a large pot to boil. Wash and rinse the rice and lentils and add to the boiling water. Cook for 18-20 min.
- After about 10 min, heat the coconut oil in a pan and add the spices. Once they become fragrant and the cumin seeds start to pop (30-60 sec) add the vegetables. Cook for 2-3 min.
- Transfer veggies and spices into the pot with the rice and lentils. Add salt and pepper, stir and cook for another 8-10 min.
- Distribute the kitchari onto plates and garnish with fresh coriander.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 36 minutes
Well, I hope you are going to give it a try.
I will be making dinner now – guess what we’ll be having!
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