KITCHARI

Serving: 2 meals

Ingredients

- 1 cup organic whole green mung beans (recommended) or yellow split mung
- ½ cup organic basmati rice either brown or white
- Optional: 1 ½ cups of your choice of 3 chopped vegetables (depending on your dosha type). Commonly used vegetables include: sweet potato, peppers, carrots, zucchini.
- 1- 2 tbs. ghee
- ½ tsp. mustard seeds (exclude for Pitta dosha)
- ½ tsp. cumin seeds
- 1 bay leaf  
- ½ tsp. turmeric
- 1 pinch hing (Asafetida)
- 1 tsp. mixed cumin and coriander powder
- ½ tsp. grated fresh organic ginger
- Salt to taste
- 1 tbs. lemon juice (or to taste)
- Few stems chopped cilantro leaves

Tips
- If during cooking you need to add more water ONLY add hot water. Cold water will slow down the cooking of the beans.
- Only add lemon juice just before eating. It too stops the beans from cooking.

Method

Night before (if possible) :

- Whole green Mung beans – wash well and soak overnight in 3 cups of water
- Organic basmati white or brown rice - wash well and soak overnight in 2 cups of water

Cooking Instructions:

- Rinse both mung beans and rice thoroughly in cold water
- Heat the ghee in a large deep cooking pot and add mustard seeds. Wait till they start popping and then add cumin seeds. 
- When cumin starts sizzling, quickly add ginger, hing, bay leaf, turmeric, cumin powder and coriander powder. Mix well and do not allow to burn.
- Add the vegetables and stir well
- Add the beans and rice together
- Add water (four time the amount of water by volume)
- Cover with a lid and watch periodically.

It will take approximately 45 minutes to be fully cooked. You may need to add more water mid-way to keep the consistency like a thick soup. When ready to serve, remove from heat, add lemon juice, a little ghee and some chopped cilantro leaves. Enjoy!