A Healthy Crush On An Ayurvedic Classic

A Healthy Crush On An Ayurvedic Classic - Kitchari

I spent a month in India and found this meal to be so cleansing--- Kitchari (Kitch-uh-ree) means mixture, usually of two grains. I received this recipe once I got home from my neighborhood friends at Yoga here in Waterbury, VT. It is one kitchari recipe that is ridiculously nourishing and easy to digest.

Above all other Indian meals, there is one which is considered to help facilitate spiritual growth, it is the Ayurvedic detox food kitchari, which is often found on many dinner tables on a normal day.

Kitchari has long been used to nourish babies, the elderly, the sick, and the healthy during special times of detox, cleansing, and deep spiritual practice. It is sometimes spelled khichadi or khichdi. This particular kitchari recipe is nourishing and easy to digest, a porridge-like blend of beans and rice (it's often referred to as the Indian comfort food).

Recipe By: Lassie’s Kitchari Instant Pot version

Serving Size: 3

Ingredients:

- 1/2 cup basmati rice
- 1/2 cup yellow mung dal
- 1 tablespoon Kitchari Spice Mix*, Kitchari spice mixed in coffee grinder: 1 tablespoon of each - coriander, cumin, fennel. Grind put in container and add 1 tablespoon turmeric, ½ tablespoon ground ginger.
- 1 tsp. Brown Mustard seeds
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 4 cups water
- 2 cups chopped vegetables (optional) sweet potato, butternut squash, kale, yellow beets (spinach or zucchini add very end.
- Optional add 1 teaspoon garam marsala spice mix

Directions:

1. Soak rice and mung dal overnight. Wash and drain soak water.

2. In Instant Pot warm the ghee on sauté setting. Add brown mustard seeds and sauté for one to two minutes until they start popping. Add kitchari spice mix. Stir rice and mung dal to spice mixture and sauté for a minute - turn off sauté setting. Add 4 cups of water. Add vegetables like sweet potato, butternut squash, kale and set Instant Pot on manual setting for 3 minutes. Let it release pressure naturally when timer is done. Spinach and Zucchini can be added at very end.

3. Add more water if needed. Typically, kitchari is the consistency of a vegetable stew as opposed to a broth. A thinner consistency is preferable if your digestion is weak. You will notice that kitchari will thicken when it cools and you may need more water than you originally thought.

4. Garnish with fresh cilantro and add salt to taste (optional).

I hope you love this self-care treatment as much as we have. I hope you will stop, meditate, and enjoy a little time alone, releasing what is no longer serving you and enjoy the benefits of this special treat. When you make it, please-- touch base with us below in our comment section or tag us in a shout-out so we can celebrate with you on Instagram or Facebook.

With a 1,000 remedies in your pocket, you too will find love and light awaiting you with every drop of love you pour into yourself and your loved ones.

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