Kitchari
with Parsley & Lemon
This delicious and nurturing meal comes from the Ayurvedic cuisine and way of life. This is one of the most ancient foods in India, dating back thousands of years. There are many different ways to cook this classic, but the main ingredients stayed the same. A one-pot fragrant dish, composed of basmati rice, mung beans and spices, together creating a complete and balanced meal. It nourishes all the tissues of the body, is easy to digest and gives strength and vitality.
Ingredients
~ one serving
Multiply ingredients by the amount of people joining.
- 1 tbsp coconut oil or ghee
- 50 gr mung beans
You can use the split mung beans or, I prefer, the whole green mung beans. - 50 gr basmati rice
I prefer using brown basmati rice. In a kitchari cleanse you’d use white basmati rice, as it is easier to digest, but in case of making a whole food delicious dish, it’s up to you. - 50 gr sweet potato
- 50 gr pumpkin or your favourite squash
- ¼ tsp cumin seeds
- ¼ tsp black mustard seeds
- ⅛ tsp coriander seeds
- ¼ tsp fenugreek
- ½ tsp fresh ginger finely chopped
- ¼ tsp fresh turmeric finely chopped
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp coriander powder
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing), leave out if you can’t find it
- ⅛ tsp salt to taste
Topping
- 1 small handful of fresh flat parsley or fresh coriander
- lime juice, big squeeze to taste
- 1 tsp sesame oil or ghee
- ½ tbsp roasted sesame seeds
Instructions
Preparation time | 10 minutes
Cook time | 35 minutes
Total time | 45 minutes
- Wash and then soak the mung beans for 8-24 hours.
- When you start cooking, drain and rinse the beans.
- Wash and drain the basmati rice.
- Bring a liter of water to boil in a water boiler or kettle.
- Measure and prepare all spices. Place the ground spices separate for the whole spices in two small bowls. Whole spices : cumin seeds, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek, fresh ginger and fresh turmeric | Ground spices: ground cumin, ground coriander, asafoetida (hing).
- Melt 1 Tbsp ghee or coconut oil into a soup pan. Add the whole spices to the oil and heat for a minute till some seeds start to pop. Add the ground spices to the oil, give it a stir.
- Add mung beans and stir. Add boiling water that double covers the mung beans.
- If you choose brown basmati rice, add to the pan at the same time as the mung beans. If you choose white basmati rice, wait and let the mung beans boil for 15 minutes before adding the rice.
- In those 15 minutes, wash and cut the vegetables into nice chunks. Add all to the pan.
- Add more boiling water if needed till all ingredients are covered.
- Bring to a boil and let simmer for 25 minutes. Stir every couple of minutes and keep covered with a lit in between. You are looking for a thick porridge-like consistency at the end: add boiling water if it gets too dry to cook the grains properly.
- The total cooking time from when you added the mung beans should be 35-45 minutes or a little longer. Check if the mung beans and rice are fully cooked.
- Add salt to taste and give it a last good stir.
- Roast the sesame seeds in a dry pan till the delicious smells of the sesame seeds are coming out. Be careful not to burn it. Do not use oil! Set to the side.
- Wash and chop the parsley or coriander. Set to side.
- Serve kitchari in a nice bowl, squeeze a good amount of lemon on top. Give it one stir, but not all the way through, so there are different tastes in different bites.
- Add a tsp of ghee or sesame oil on top.
- Add the parsley or coriander on top.
Notes
- Coriander instead of parsley is also great with kitchari.
- Traditionally kitchari is made with white basmati rice.
- I love a spoon of ghee on top and stir it through without fully mixing. If you want to keep it vegan, choose a spoon of organic raw sesame oil and add it at the end.
- Don’t cook the sesame oil, it will destroy the nutrients. Cook either in coconut oil or ghee instead, it can deal with the heat much better.
Enjoy!
“The soul is here for its own joy.” ~ Rumi
