Indian Ayurvedic Kitchari

Kitchari accompanied by fresh salad from our farm with almond dressing, breadfruit ‘tostones’, coconut chutney and avocado.

This recipe has its origins in the Ayurvedic tradition of India, where it is usually enjoyed as a daily meal or as part of a cleanse or ‘detox’. The wonderful thing about this recipe, and its potential to strengthen the body, is that it relaxes the digestive system while providing a complete and nutritious meal. It is a more gentle way to detoxify the body, compared to the juice or water fast. At Plenitud we usually eat it twice a week, and it can satisfy any meal, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner.

To prepare the kitchari, we use a recipe from Yamuna Devi’s book “The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking“. We usually get creative with the vegetables depending with what we have in season—the fresher, the better!

You're going to love it!

Kitchari with Calabaza and Carrots

Inspired by Yamuna Devi in “The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking”

Ingredients

1 cup basmati or other long-grain white rice*

1.5 cups calabaza, pumpkin squash, washed, dried and cut into small cubes*

1.5 cups carrots, washed, dried, and cut into small cubes*

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon yellow asafetida powder (hing*)

4 tablespoons ghee or a mixture of vegetable oil and unsalted butter

1/2 tablespoon scraped, finely shredded or minced fresh ginger root

1 tablespoon minced seeded hot green chilies (or as desired)

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

2/3 cup split moong dal, without skins*

7 cups water

1 1/4 teaspoons turmeric

up to 2 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon butter or ghee

*This amount applies only to yellow Cobra brand. Reduce any other asafetida by three fourths.

Directions:

1. In separate containers, soak the rice and the dal for 12 hours in plenty of filtered water. We recommend letting it soak from the previous night. Then drain and discard the water from the soak and wash thoroughly, preferably with filtered water. (This step was adapted from the original recipe)

2. Have the calabaza, or other squash, carrots, and asafetida ready next to the stove. Heat 4 tablespoons of ghee or oil-butter mixture in a heavy 4-5 quart/liter nonstick saucepan over high heat. When it is hot but not smocking, stir in the ginger root, green chilies and cumin seeds. Fry until the cumin seeds turn brown (they will darken in seconds)

3. Quickly add the asafetida and immediately follow with the squash and carrots. Turn it about with a spoon, frying for 4-5 minutes or until slightly browned and partially cooked. Stir in the rice and dal. Fry about 1 minute.

4. Pour in the water and turmeric and bring to a full boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover and slowly cook, stirring occasionally, for 1-1 1/2 hours or until the rice and dal are soft and the mixture is similar to oatmeal in consistency. If you use frozen peas, add them during the last 5 minutes. As the kitchari thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking. Before serving, add the salt and 1 tablespoon of butter or ghee.

   ¡Buen Provecho!

Notes:

• We get creative with the vegetables depending on the local crops in season, the fresher the better.

• We can substitute grain or legume for other types using the same ratio of grain to legume. Other suggested grains are brown rice, quinoa, and millet. We also use pink or green lentils in place of moong dal.

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