I was first introduced to kitchari when I visited the incredible ayurvedic haven that is Down Dog Healing Café. Kitchari is an Indian dish that, according to the café’s owner Kei, is like the chicken soup of Ayurveda.
It’s the main ayurvedic dish due to its incredibly nourishing yet easily digestible qualities. Kei’s was so delicious and I honestly have not stopped thinking about it since that day. I have not the slightest clue why it took me so long to do so, but I finally decided to try making my own.
From what I’ve read here and there, there’s definitely room to change up the recipe to your liking – and to what best suits your body. You can interchange ghee and coconut oil, and choose whichever vegetables are best for your constitution. Since I haven’t yet had my ayurvedic consultation with Lilavati, I’m not certain which vegetables I should be incorporating… so I just stuck to the ingredients Kei had used on the day I sampled it (though she changes which vegetables she uses daily), and added some carrots.
I used basamati rice, red lentils, kale, butternut squash, turnips, carrots, coconut oil, turmeric, coriander and Himalayan sea salt.
I cooked the rice and red lentils separately, added the vegetables, oil, and seasonings in with the red lentils, and combined everything once all was fully cooked.
This dish is fantastic. Light yet filling… a dish that energizes instead of weighs down, just as nature intended. With each bite I took, my body just felt good – it seemed to somehow soothe my insides. Now that I know how easy this is to make (and how brilliant it tastes), I’m planning to incorporate it into my daily diet. I’m excited to experiment with ingredients and proportions and find out what’s best for me.
Have you guys ever made your own kitchari? Let me know if you have any tips :)
More from my ayurveda journal series.
Follow FP Brigette on Twitter.
This looks so scrumptious and healthy, I am def going to make this. Turmeric is soo good for you and I love the taste of coriander too. Thanks Brigette <3
xoxo Annejelina
Visit my shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/CrownofCreationShop
Oh that looks wonderful! I love your Ayurveda posts!
xo, Juliette Laura
http://juliettelaura.blogspot.com
I love the texture, colors and shapes of vegetables. It´s always amazing, always hypnotizing.
Welcome to visit my blog for more weird shapes : )
http://weirdshaped.blogspot.dk/
Cheers
Jenny
I was so excited when i saw this blog post. I am Indian and so it definitely struck a chord! I do have to say that, Kitchari is actually spelled Kichadi and pronounced ‘Kitsch-ah-dee’ :)
xoxo,
-Kim
I made my own Kitchari (I have an ayurveda cookbook that spells it this way too, maybe they have different spellings) a couple months ago and had a really hard time with asafetida, an Indian spice aka Devil’s Dung. It was just too pungent for me so I took it out and after it was a great dish that I enjoyed. You’re right, it feels good eating it knowing it’s comforting for your digestion. Great post!
Much love, http://www.myomlife.com/
This sounds incredible and I can’t wait to incorporate it into my diet especially during this heavy eating holiday season!
Xo-Lauren
UrbanRoyaltyJL.Blogspot.com
Instagram: @UrbanRoyaltyL
I love your recipe! I must try .. so far I have been cooking my kichadi/kitchari this way – 1 cup of red lentils ( no rice), 1/2 tsb turmeric, 1/2 tbs marsala, 1tsb fresh ginger, sweet potato. Cook for 30 min. Heat the ghee in a large pot over a medium heat. Add cumin and cook for a minute until fragrant. Add the lentils to the pot and mix well. Stir in cilantro. Following this recipe, the soup has definitely more liquid consistency. I am happy to try your recipe as well. Bon appetit!
Indian too and it’s kichadi as mentioned by Kim/Maria. Used to be dinner everyday as a kid because my mom did not want me eating unhealthy. Still the best dinner to cleanse or during an illness.
You also need to add a dash of turmeric.
This looks and sounds so delicious!!
Sometimes when I make kitchari, I’ll add a little extra love right at the end and melt a dallop of ghee and toast some walnuts and my spice churna in it, then pour it on top. Delish!
also Indian, and as Indian languages don’t use the English script, you can spell it either way. In Hindi, the word uses a letter/sound that doesn’t exist in English; it’s a bit of a cross between an r and a d – which is why it can be spelled either way.
hey brigette,
have you had your consultation yet?
i had one lat week and found out that my vata is sky high (i’m naturally pitta-kapha) cause of all the changes happening in my life. i’m week one into this new diet, and i’ve had headaches almost everyday… i’m pretty sure it’s cause i haven’t had a cup of coffee in a week (well, i cheated one day).
have you tried kundalini yoga? it is incredible… and amazing for balancing your chakras.
either way, i’m learning a lot as i read more and more about ayurveda, and i cannot wait for my abhyanga, which is scheduled 1 month into my ayurveda journey.
i’ve been following along, cause i guess were going through similar changes at the moment.
hope everything is going well :)