Description
Kitchari is a delicious Ayurvedic one-pot meal made with dal, rice, and spices. It’s rich in protein and fiber, comforting, and very easy to digest.
Ingredients
- 1 cup mung dal (or red lentils) (like THIS or THIS), soaked for 4-8 hours
- 3/4 cup basmati rice (like this)
- 2 tbsp ghee or coconut oil
- 3/4 tsp mustard seeds (like this)
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 5 cups of water, bone broth, or healing mineral broth
- 1–2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/4 tsp ginger powder
- 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
- salt to taste
- fresh cilantro for garnish
- ghee or coconut oil for drizzling
Instructions
- Rinse both the soaked mung dal and rice very well and set aside.
- Turn Instant Pot onto SAUTE mode and add 2 tbsp of ghee or coconut oil. When oil is hot, add mustard seeds and cumin powder and stir continually for about 1 minute until spices are fragrant. Be sure to not let them burn.
- Pour in 5 cups of water or broth plus lentils, rice, fresh ginger, turmeric, ginger powder, and cardamom. Lock lid on IP and turn the vent valve to “sealing.” Cook on HIGH pressure for 6 minutes. Allow to slow release for 10 minutes then release the pressure fully.
- Add salt to taste. Stir in more water or broth if you prefer a soupier consistency. Serve immediately garnished with fresh cilantro and a dollop of ghee or coconut oil on top.
Notes
I recommend soaking lentils for at least 4 hours to make them MORE digestible.
Cooking the mustard seeds and cumin really brings out the flavor so don’t skip this step.
I usually use a mixture of half water and half broth to add a nice flavor to my dish.
I prefer my kitchari on the soupy side so I usually stir in a bit of hot water before serving. If you prefer a thicker mixture, you can experiment with reducing water/broth just a bit until you get your perfect consistency.
Adding a dollop of ghee or coconut oil on top and allowing it to melt all over the top is like the icing on the cake. Trust me. So delicious. Learn to make your own ghee HERE.