Recipes
About the Recipe
As the weather begins to cool, this nourishing Ayurvedic kitchari becomes a beautiful staple to have on hand. It’s simple to prepare, comforting to eat, and perfect to store in the freezer for those days when you’re too tired or busy to cook.
The ingredient list may look a little long at first glance, but most of these are spices — and they’re what bring the dish to life with warmth and flavour.
Traditionally, kitchari is made with mung dal beans. Depending on where you source them, their cooking behaviour can vary. While some recipes say soaking isn’t necessary, I prefer to soak the beans to support easier digestion. Adding a pinch of bicarb soda to the soaking water can also help them soften. During cooking, some mung beans naturally break down into a creamy texture, while others may hold their shape a little longer, so it’s worth checking as you go to ensure they’ve softened to your liking.
Ingredients
2 cups dried yellow mung beans (mung dal beans) – optional: soaked for 8 hours or more
1 cup uncooked basmati rice, rinsed
2 tablespoons ghee or organic sesame oil to keep the dish vegan
2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
3-4 green cardamom pods
1 cup chopped fresh coriander, to serve (optional)
2-5 cups chopped seasonal vegetables (except nightshades) – pumpkin, zucchini, carrot, spinach, sweet potato, kohlrabi, kale etc
8 cups of water
Directions
Rinse the mung beans until the water runs clear and then strain.
Heat a large heavy based pot to medium-high and then add the ghee or oil. Add the mustard, cumin, fennel and fenugreek seeds and stir through the melted ghee/oil. Toast until the mustard seeds start to pop (around 1 minute).
Add the turmeric, black pepper, ground cumin, ground coriander and cinnamon and stir until the spices are combined.
Add the strained rice and beans and stir until the spices coat the beans and rice. Add 8 cups of water and then add the cloves, bay leaves, cardamom pods and stir to combine. Add the chopped vegetables and stir through.
Increase the heat to bring the mix to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 1.5 hours until the beans have softened. If the beans still retain some firmness, continue cooking until they soften, continuing to stir the mix so the bottom doesn’t burn.
When serving, try to remove the bay leaves, cloves and cardamom. Serve warm with chopped coriander (optional).
Additional Information
This dish freezes really well. Store in the freezer up to 6 months.
Ideally the kitchari will cook into a porridge like consistency, however the texture can be influenced by the mung beans. Older beans tend to retain the firmness, so check while cooking as they are not pleasant to eat when they remain too firm.
The rice can also be soaked ahead of cooking if desired.
If your pot is large enough, you can add as many vegetables as you like to increase the nutrition of the dish.
