A Comforting Kitchari Recipe

Originally published 2/13/2022

It's a cold and snowy day today and I was feeling the need for some comfort food, so I made some kitchari. Kitchari is a nourishing porridge-like dish, a staple of the Ayurvedic diet, easy to digest and especially comforting when experiencing digestive upset. My favorite recipe is very simple, and whenever I make it, I leave it warming in a pot and dish out small helpings throughout the day.

The beauty of this recipe is that you can tweak it to your liking - you can keep it basic, or you can add seasonal vegetables to it, such as squash or sweet potatoes. You can make it a little drier, or if you're like me, you can add more liquid and cook it to an oatmeal-like consistency. In Ayurveda, it's often consumed for a few days or even weeks as part of a cleansing fast. I suggest experimenting with it to see how you like it best.

The Recipe:

Rinse and soak 1/2 cup rice and 1/4 cup split mung dal (I use yellow mung beans); set aside. Sauté 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and 1 bay leaf in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until brown. Add 4 cups of vegetable stock and drained rice/ dal. (Alternatively, you can add your favorite meat stock.) Lastly, add 1 teaspoon turmeric. Cover and let simmer until rice and dal are tender and have soaked up liquid to reach desired consistency. Enjoy!