Kitchari

Serves 4-6

An Ayurvedic dish that is served as a staple across Ayurdevic centres and is reknown as an easily digested nourishing meal.

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown basmati rice

• 1/2 cup mung beans

• 2 tbsp butter, ghee or coconut oil

• teaspoon black mustard seeds

• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

• 1 tbsp ginger root - peeled and finely grated

• 4 g fresh curry leaves (ok if you don’t have)

• 1/2 cinnamin stick

• 1 teaspoon ground tumeric

• 5 cm piece Kombu

• 1.4L boiling filtered water

• 2 teaspoons tamari

• 1 teaspoon sea salt

  To Serve:

• cold pressed flaxseed oil

• chopped coriander

• sliced red chillies (optional)

Method

Place rice and beans in a medium pan and wash - fill pan with water swish around let settle and drain off water, repeat. Then cover with 4 caiupw of filtered water and soak 12-24 hours. Rinse and drain rice and beans and set aside.

Warm ghee or cocnut oil in large pan over medium heat. Add mustard seeds, ginger, cumin seeds and curry leaves; saute for 3 mins. Stir in drained rice and beans, cinnamon stick and turmeric. Add kombu and 4 cups of boiling water. Bring to the boil over high heat, stir, cover pan, reduce heat to low an dsimmer for 1 hour. Remove and compost kombu, cinnamon stick and curry leaves. Add 2 cups boiling water, tamari and sea salt; continue simmering for another 30 mins, stirring every 10 mins to prevent sticking. Remove from heat and set aside, covered, for 10 mins before serving.

Spoon into bowls. Serve drizzled with flaxseed oil and tamari and topped with fresh coriander and chillies, if using.

Source: this variation of Kitchari is from Amy Chaplin - At Home in the Wholefood Kitchen.