This porridge-like Indian dish is made with rice, legumes, and tons of fresh vegetables.
It is nutritious, loaded with protein and healthy carbohydrates, and a great thing to make when you have digestion issues or just want to reset your body.
“I make it at least once a week—it’s a total comfort food and so energizing,” says my friend Nicole Rice who gave me the recipe. She’s a doula in Los Angeles and cooks kitcheri for all new moms she takes care of.
Now you.
Do you say kitcheri or kitchari? Have you been to India?
Tell me in the comments.
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Kitcheri
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4 1x
Description
Nutritious porridge-like Indian dish made with rice, legumes, and fresh vegetables.
Scale
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons ghee
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ cup peeled, finely diced carrots (about 1 medium carrot)
- ½ cup trimmed, finely chopped celery (about 2 celery stalks)
- ½ cup finely chopped cilantro or parsley
- 1 tablespoon peeled, grated ginger (about 1 small knob ginger)
- ¼ cup basmati rice, rinsed
- ¼ cup lentils (any kind) or split mung beans, rinsed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups water or vegetable stock
- 2 cups of your favorite vegetables (such as zucchini, broccoli, or cauliflower), finely chopped
- ½ cup soft-leaf vegetables (such as spinach, chard, dandelion), finely chopped
- Topping ideas
- Sliced avocado
- Sliced radish
- Lemon wedge
- Fermented vegetables
- Greek yogurt
Instructions
- Melt 2 tablespoons of the ghee in a heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat. Add the turmeric and cumin, and sauté, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes.
- Add the carrots, celery, cilantro, and ginger to the pan and sauté, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Mix in the rice, lentils, and salt. Sauté, stirring frequently, for 2–3 minutes.
- Pour in the water or stock, add the 2 cups of vegetables, and bring to a simmer over high heat.
- Lower the heat to low and cook with the lid off, stirring occasionally, until the rice, lentils, and vegetables are soft and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 35–40 minutes. It should have a consistency of runny risotto or thick soup.
- Turn the heat off. Stir in 1 tablespoon of ghee, along with the soft-leaf vegetables. Cover with a lid, and let sit for another 10 minutes.
- Serve topped with sliced avocado, radish, fermented vegetables, lemon wedge, or Greek yogurt.
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