Kichadi

This preparation is an important staple food for many Indians. It is also a purifying, balancing diet used by yogis because it is easy to digest and assists in eliminating toxins from the system. It is suitable when people are ill and for the delicate digestions of the very young and very old.

Rice

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups rice, preferably basmati
  • 1 cup split mung beans (mung dal)
  • 8 to 12 cups water, depending on how liquid you want the final product to be
  • 2 tablespoons ghee
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
  • ½ teaspoon tumeric powder
  • 3 to 5 whole cardamom pods
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons powdered ginger
  • pinch of salt or powdered kelp
  • pinch of asafoetida powder
  • 1 peeled & grated potato

Wash the beans and rice and soak them separately in an excess of water for at least an hour. Thereafter, discard the soak water, mix the beans and rice together and rinse them with fresh water.

Gently heat 2 tablespoons of ghee. While heating, add the cumin, coriander, tumeric and asafoetida. Saute these spices lightly in the ghee, until they are just browned but before they blacken, and add the mung beans and rice, stirring vigorously for about a minute so that some of the spices will be absorbed. Then add water, potato, ginger, cardamom and salt or kelp, bring to a slow boil, cover and cook until the individual grains are completely soft (20-30 minutes).

Variations:

Cook finely cut vegetables in the kichadi. Try green beans, carrots, peas and zucchini. Garnish with chopped cilantro and toasted coconut shreds or chopped toasted almonds or cashews. To balance Kapha, add black pepper or chilies to taste. Serve with yoghurt for Vata types and extra ghee for Pitta types. This amount will serve five or six people.