Kitchari means mixture, usually of two grains and spices according to your constitution. It is the traditional cleansing food in Ayurveda.
Among all fancy detox food that trend today on the web, this one seems to be an unusual cleansing food.
Let understand why is the perfect food for a cleansing and for when you feel heavy, bloated, gassy, unclean in the body but also in the mind.
Kithcari is balancing for all constitution types and its ingredients are very easy to digest.
Kithcari is a complete meal as the combination of rice and beans (yellow mung dhal) provides all the amino acids needed to form a complete protein: togheter they make the magic happen! the protein content of kitchari supports stable blood sugar levels so that energy and mental clarity are balanced.
Kitchari Is Easy to Digest
White rice is traditionally used in kitchari because it is very easy to digest. Along with the split mung dal, kitchari is a food that is gentle enough for babies.
In fact, in Ayurvedic homes, kitchari is typically given to people who need to support their health, to the elderly, and to babies because it is so gentle.
Also, eating a monodiet of primarily just kitchari for several days offers the digestive system a rest by making the diet extremely simple.
Kitchari Improves Digestion
Agni, or the digestive fire (referred to as metabolism in Western terms), is considered in Ayurveda to be the golden key to all health.
Good agni means we are able to digest, assimilate, and absorb nutrients from our food. Weak or imbalanced agni means malabsorption and accumulation of ama (natural toxins).
Spices like cumin, coriander, fennel and ginger and even salt encourage healthy agni. Because kitchari is made with spices that can be tailored to your constitution type, it nourishes and balances agni.
Cooking Kitchari
INGREDIENTS
1 cup basmati rice 2/3 cup mung dal (split yellow) 6 cups (approx.) water 1/2 to 1 inch ginger root, chopped or grated A bit of mineral salt (1/4 tsp. or so) 2 tsp. ghee 1/2 tsp. coriander powder 1/2 tsp. cumin powder 1/2 tsp. whole cumin seeds 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder 1 pinch asafoetida (hing) Handful of fresh cilantro leaves 1 and 1/2 cups assorted vegetables (optional)
PREPARATION
Carefully pick over rice and dal to remove any stones. Wash each separately in at least 2 changes of water.
In a separate saucepan, sauté the seeds in the ghee until they pop. Then add the other spices. Stir together to release the flavors. Add the 6 cups of water, the rice and dal and cook covered until it becomes soft, about 20 minutes.
While that is cooking, prepare any vegetables that suit your constitution. Cut them into smallish pieces. Add the vegetables to the cooked rice and dal mixture and cook 10-15 minutes longer. Add the mineral salt and chopped fresh cilantro and serve.
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