Indian Kitchari – rice and lentil comfort food, also known as khichdi or khichuri, is used when someone is feeling uncomfortable with their stomach and intestines or to get digestion going again. It is a traditional recipe in Indian cuisine and is eaten throughout India.
Dal Kitchari is an easy stew made with rice and mung dal lentils that can be cooked in under 30 minutes. Many people refer to Kitchari as food for babies and sick people because it can be very bland in taste. But a well-made and balanced flavored Kitchari is very tasty, high in protein, healthy and nutritious. Served with ghee (if not vegan) and pickles to spice it up even more.
Kitchari – Mung dal and Rice
The name of the dish Kitchari derives from the Sanskrit term “Khicca”, which means something like: from rice & legumes. The most common lentil used to make Kitchari is moond dal .
According to Ayurveda, Mung Dal can naturally help to detoxify the body naturally. Mung Dal is considered a light, nutritious, high-protein and easily digestible lentil.
Indian Kitchari is also given to babies as the first food, sick people are given to recover during and after an illness and it is also regularly consumed by normal people for breakfast anyway.
As such, Kitchari is not native to any regional cuisine in India and is thus made in many different variations. The easiest way to prepare dal Kitchari is to boil rice and lentils with salt until they have a mushy texture. Then sprinkled with some ghee and served hot. Of course, this sounds a bit boring and bland, so to the base, of rice and mung dal, of Ayurvedic Kitchari, cumin, turmeric, ginger, salt and other various ingredients or spices are added. Vegetables can also be used optionally based on body type.
Our simple Indian Kitchari recipe is super tasty and quick to prepare. For this reason, Kitchari – rice and lentil comfort foods often make it for breakfast or dinner. This usually includes lassi and mango pickles .
if you like our Indian Kitchari, you may also be interested in these recipes:
- Indian Ghugni Chaat
- Ayurvedic dosa with coconut potatoes
- Stewed cucumber curry the Ayurvedic way
- ayurvedic ginger basil lemonade
- Ayurvedic Chickpea Cabbage Curry
- Tandoori cauliflower with tahini yogurt
Kitchari recipe – Rice and lentil porridge
Equipment
Ingredients
- 100 grams yellow mung beans* or red/yellow lentils
- 200 grams basmati rice*
- 2 green chili peppers*
- 1 tbsp. Cumin*
- 1 tsp turmeric powder*
- ½ Asafoetida* hung
- ¼ tsp Black pepper*
- 1 tbsp. mustard seeds*
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
- kosher salt*
Topping / side dish:
- small Bunch of coriander
- ghee* if not vegan
- mango pickles >> to the recipe
Instructions
- Mix mung beans and rice. Wash both well.
- Cook the bean-rice mixture with 3x as much water until soft. The rice and beans need to cook to a soft, mashed consistency.
- Wash and chop the chili.
- Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds to the hot oil until they crackle. Then add asafoetida, cumin and the chopped green chilies. Fry for about half a minute, then pepper and set aside.
- Add salt to the soft-boiled bean and rice mixture. Mix well.
- Now add the spice mix from the skillet to the rice and mix until everything is a uniform yellow color.
- Add more water if needed to get the right mushy consistency. Boil once and remove from the stove.
- Serve with cilantro and mango pickles. If it doesn’t have to be vegan, you can drizzle a good tablespoon of ghee over the khichadi to serve.
Nutrition
