KITCHARI

It’s a little late in the season to do a cleanse but I was very busy,  so NOW will have to do. In my opinion, a kitchari cleanse is the most suitable for this time of the year.  When Spring arrives I love to juice but in the Fall and generally during cold months, kitchari is my choice when I need a break from regular food .

I asked one of my food enlightened friends for her favourite kitchari recipe. I met Magda at an Ayurveda course few years back. She is beautiful, passionate and her eyes have a special spark 😀 She is Polish like me and we share the same name:) But I can tell you that it is the love of Ayurveda that binds us.

Magda is a devoted Ayurveda student , a very skilled yogi and she also has a special gift with food. She applies Ayurvedic principles in her food creations.  Magda teaches wonderful Ayurveda inspired cooking workshops and often talks on other topics related to Ayurvedic lifestyle, yoga… Together with her family, she lives a pretty cool off the grid life, surrounded by nature in the Ontario country site. Follow her on Instagram HERE

So, late as it is I will be starting my yearly kitchari cleanse tomorrow. Normally, I do forty days straight (kitchari breakfast, lunch and dinner). Yes, I really do this:) but because it is already so cold, I’ll do just two weeks this time. If you feel, like your belly needs a bit of a rest, you can join me for as long as you wish. This is not going to be anything official but it always feels better together. Especially on the day 3 when you are tempted to go and buy yourself a donut.

Here is the delicious Kitchari recipe which my beautiful friend graciously shared with us. Let me know if you decide to do it.        

NGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup white Basmati Rice

• 2 cups Mung Dal (split yellow)

• 7 cups (approx.) Water

• a bit of Salt

• 2 Tbs. Ghee

• 3 tsp. Mustard Seeds

• 2 tsp. Cumin Seeds

• 2 tsp. Turmeric Powder

• 2 tsp. Coriander Powder

• 2 tsp. Fennel Powder

• 1 pinch Asafoetida (Hing) optional

• vegetables of your choice ( e.g.. onion, asparagus, carrots)

DIRECTIONS: Wash rice and mug dal separately in at least 2 changes of water. If you have time soak rice and dal 1 to 3 hours prior to cooking, or soak overnight and rinse well before cooking. Sauté the seeds in the ghee on low heat until they pop approx. 2-3 min add the other spices (takes seconds, be careful not to burn ) Add rinsed mung dal and salt. Sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Add 4 cups of boiling water, bring to boil, then simmer for 30 minutes or until the dal is 2/3 cooked. Add rice and 2 more cups of water. Meanwhile prepare any vegetables that suit your constitution. Keep it simple, use 3-4 different veggies max. Cut them into small pieces. Sauté veggies in ghee according to their hardness, eg.start with onion, add carrots splash of water then add asparagus salt and pepper.

( I usually start with onion for flavour ) Put veggies aside. If needed add extra water to your Kitchari. Bring back to a boil, them simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is fully cooked. Aim to have minimal water remaining, leaving the lid on the pot to allow any excess to be slowly absorbed. The Mung Dal should be fully cooked and blend nicely with rice. Serve with your veggies.

Note: In Ayurveda Kitchari is considered the most healing food as its easy to digest giving your body space to restore. Some recipes call for equal parts of rice and mung dal, I find it heavy on rice and adding more dal makes the texture smoother. Also, I find that its more substantial and nutritious.

For Veggies, when my Vata is high ( I use sesame oil instead ghee to sauté veggies ) I favour sweet potatoes and mustard greens to top my kitchari, Pitta kale and squash ( also use coconut oil instead ghee ) for Kapha use sesame oil and favour cauliflower and dandelion greens.

Veggies that are tridoshic ( good to enjoy for all dosha ) ARTICHOKE ASPARAGUS BEETS CARROTS PEAS GREEN BEANS

If you are not sure what your Dosha is (your Ayurvedic constitution), I highly recommend going through THIS questioner to find out.

Magdalena