Kitchari basically means a hodge-podge or blend of ingredients. The Mauritian-Indian cuisine is all about the flavor and the energy that goes into preparing the dish. Positive energy put in during cooking provides a more nourishing and beneficial experience for those consuming the food. This is a good reason for us to create our own dishes and not buy prepared foods as we don’t know who is preparing them or exactly what ingredients are going into these meals.

What is Kitchari?

Kitchari is a traditional Ayurvedic recipe that is meant to help digestion in a body that is not assimilating its nutrients properly. It is a very soothing, nutritious dish that can be served any time as a full meal or a side dish.

There are many variations when it comes to this recipe allowing you to be creative and modify the recipe as you want.You can add as many or few ingredients to this dish as you wish. Additions can also be added during cooking or later according to your needs.  Kitchari provides a perfect blend of carbs and protein.

 The Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients

–          250g basmati rice

–          200g red lentils

–          1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

–          Cumin grains

–          1 tsp turmeric

–          Ground coriander

–          1 pinch of asafetida

–          300g of Vegetable (1 tomato, a few mushrooms, peppers and onion)

–          2 tbsp sesame oil

–          salt or vegetable broth

Preparation

  1. Rinse the rice and lentils. Cut the vegetables into cubes, grate the ginger.
  2. Heat the sesame oil in a skillet and grill the cumin.
  3. Add coriander, turmeric, ginger and asafetida. Mix it up.
  4. Add vegetables (except tomato)
  5. Add the rice and lentils and cover it up with 400ml water.
  6. Add salt or broth to taste.
  7. Cover and, once it has boiled, allow to simmer over low heat.
  8. After some twenty minutes, add the diced tomato, check cooking and cook a few minutes until the rice and lentils are very tender (add water if necessary).

Serve hot, as single dish.

Bon Appetit Biensure!