Kitchari is a medicinal food in India. Let us remember that from the point of view of Ayurveda, the traditional medicine of this country, food is the first medicine.
The kitchari, besides being tasty and balances the three doshas (it is tridosha) with its variants*, serves as a complement during the Panchakarma therapies, detoxification, before, during and after the administration of same ones.
It is also useful as a detoxifying diet for the beginning of spring.
There are many ways to make a kitchari and this will vary depending on the house we are in and the cook.
One of the healthy and sattvic (pure) ways to do this is to use season and proximity vegetables. Below we share with you a version suitable to begin the spring with a lot of energy.
KITCHARI
Ingredients (4 people):
- 2 small purple onions
- 1 carrot
- 1 potato
- two tablespoons of Ghee
- basmati rice 150g
- mung beans/ green soybeans 100 g or *red lentils
- spices : ginger, mustard seeds, salt, pepper, turmeric.
Preparation
It is advisable to soak the mung beans/beans the night before.
Place two tablespoons of Ghee in a pot, preferably pressure cooker . Everything taken to minimum fire. Add some mustard seeds and a teaspoon of coffee (optional).
Wash the mung beans/soy beans and let them boil for 20 minutes (the water used is always double the amount of beans to be used). Then wash the basmati rice and add it to the preparation. Keep in mind that in this case, water corresponding to the rice will be added. Meanwhile, at the same time the onions, carrots, broccoli and potatoes are finely cut and added to the cooking.
Add a teaspoon of salt and a little more water with the spices. Cover the pot and wait about 15 minutes more.
Advice:
It can be accompanied with an infusion of fennel, cumin and coriander.
And it can be the main meal of a three-day detox diet, which will help us cleanse the body and mind. We can make it in autumn and spring, as the change of season always increases the Vata dosha imbalances. In spring it is very useful to balance kapha dosha, and avoid its excessive liquefaction.
It is also a perfect recipe to eat in our weekly routine, at least once a week.
Bon appetit!