Kitchari

Ingredients

• 1 cup Basmati Rice
• 2 cups Mung Dal (split yellow)
• 7 cups (approx.)Water
• a bit of Salt
• 2 Tbs. Ghee
• 3 tsp. Mustard Seeds
• 2 tsp. Cumin Seeds or Powder
• 2 tsp. Turmeric Powder
• 2 tsp. Coriander Powder
• 2 tsp. Fennel Powder
• 1 pinch Asafoetida (Hing)

Preparation

• Carefully pick over rice and dal to remove any stones. Wash each separately in at least 2 changes of water.
• Sauté the seeds in the ghee until they pop. Then add the other spices. Add the mung dal and salt. Sauté for 1 or 2 minutes. Add boiling water, bring to boil, then simmer for 30 minutes or until the dal is about 2/3 cooked.
• Now prepare any vegetables that suit your constitution. Cut them into smallish pieces. Add rice and these vegetables. Stir to mix, adding extra water if required. Bring back to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is fully cooked. Aim to have minimal water remaining, leaving the lid on the pot to allow any excess to slowly be absorbed.

Special Precautions of Kitchari

Kitchari mono-diet can lead to constipation if taken exclusively for several days, as it is low in fiber. To ensure proper elimination, the following may prove helpful if taken once a day, away from kitchari meals: psyllium husks or seeds with water OR oat bran OR prune juice.

The benefits of Kitchari are

Kitchari (pronounced kitch-a-ree) is a staple comfort food of India, also known as khichari, khitchari, and kitchiri, and also sometimes referred to as kedgeree (though incorrectly, as that is an English dish). The word "kitchari' means "mixture" or "mess" as in "mess of pottage" or "mess of stew" or porridge.The main ingredients are rice and mung beans, to which a variety of spices and other vegetables may be added. Often the mung beans are replaced with another bean. Sometimes the resultant "mess" is thick, and sometimes it is thin and soupy. And, sometimes, the word "kitchari" is used loosely to describe any "mess of pottage", such as, "I made a kitchari of millet and lentils". The ancient practice of fasting on kitchari, or a "kitchari cleanse", utilizes the traditional mix of rice and mung beans. In Ayurveda, the ancient wisdom of India dating back 5,000 years, this mix of rice and mung beans is considered extremely easy to digest and is said to purify the digestion and cleanse the body of toxins, much like other cleansing diets.