Khichdi or Kitchari as it is popularly known steals the title for Ayurvedic Comfort Food. Make it right and it is not just super healthy but extremely delicious! This being the first food recipe here, let me tell you how to read recipes on this website.
Just like any other food blog, a detailed recipe of how to cook the dish will surely be there. But what would be different here is the description of how the food affects the body based on the doshas. And variants of the same dish for different doshas and different seasons.
The recipe for khichdi is widely available. But here I am telling you a simple, tried and tested variant that has people licking their plate clean.
Khichdi/Kitchari
Serves two
Ingredients-
Rice - 1 cup (Long grain raw rice)
Yellow moong dal (mung beans) - 1/4th cup
Water - 4-5 cups
Onion - 1 medium sized brown onion
Garlic - 3-4 cloves, finely chopped or smashed
Ginger - one inch, grated
Green chillies - Two medium sized slit at the centre (If you prefer spicy, you can add one more)
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - one pinch
Turmeric - 1/4th tsp
Salt- To taste
Cow's ghee - 2.5 tablespoon
Coriander leaves - 1 tablespoon, chopped
Procedure -
a. Take rice and yellow moong dal in a bowl. Wash it at least three to four times until the water runs clear. Soak it in water and keep it aside (Soak it first thing and then prepare everything needed for the dish).
b. Place a sauce pan on stove. Turn on the heat to medium high. Add about 1.5 tablespoon of ghee. Wait until the ghee is hot. (Check by adding a couple cumin seeds. If it splutters, it is at the right temperature. If it doesn't, wait a little longer)
c. Add the cumin seeds. Turn the temperature to low, and add green chillies, garlic and ginger. Saute it for about 30 seconds until the garlic turns light brown and the green chillies develop white spots.
d. Next add the chopped onions and one pinch of asafoetida. Turn the flame to medium high and saute it until the onions turn translucent. Add turmeric powder.
e. While the onions cook, drain the water from the soaked rice and moong dal. Add the drained grains to the onions once the onions are translucent.
f. Fry the grains for 5-6 minutes until the grains smell aromatic.
g. Add 4 cups of water and salt to taste. Taste the water and adjust the quantity of salt. Keep stirring intermittently until the water starts to boil.
h. The next step is simple and you have to keep stirring every few minutes until the grains are cooked well and a little mushy. (Stirring intermittent is essential to prevent the grains from sticking to the bottom). You can add more water as required if the grains start sticking to the pan.
i. Once the grains are completely cooked, turn off the heat. Add 1 tablespoon of ghee on top and garnish it with chopped coriander leaves. Give it a stir and serve it hot.
Khichdi/Kitchari can be had with pickle/chutney/thick buttermilk/simple veggie.
(*In the picture, khichdi was paired with pan roasted potato slices)
Doshic value of Khichdi/Kitchari and variations
Doshas: Khichdi is good for all types of people and it balances all the three doshas.
Digestion: It is light on the stomach and easy to digest.
It is well known as a detox food and helps in clearing aama or toxins.
Variations
-Seasonal vegetables can be added before adding grains.
-Pitta: People with pitta predominent bodies reduce the amount of spice. An extra serving of ghee can be had if needed.
-Kapha: Kapha people can add more spices like cinnamon, bay leaves, cloves. Also, reduce the amount of ghee to around 1.5 tablespoons.
-Poor digestion: People with very poor digestion skip onions, garlic and corainder leaves. Replace green chillies with crushed black pepper.
*Pressure cooker variant is not mentioned here as cooking food in pressure cooker makes the food heavier to digest and is not recommended.