Kitchari

* 1 cup basmati rice
* ½ cup organic whole or split mung beans (bulk section of the health food store) These need to be soaked for at least three hours before cooking.
* 4-6 cups of water
* 2 T ghee (clarified butter) An organic brand will be available at the health food store
* 1 teaspoon of black mustard seeds
* 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
* 2 pinches hing (asafetida)
* 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
* 1 stick of kombu (seaweed) Also available at the health food store. You can substitute Wakame if need be. You just need a little. One “leaf” per pot of soup.
* ½ teaspoon of sea salt
* ½ teaspoon of turmeric
* 1 - 2 cups chopped vegetables (optional)

Wash rice and mung and soak for three hours or overnight. Drain soak water.

In a saucepan warm the ghee. Add the ginger, mustard seeds and cumin seeds and sauté for one to two minutes until the mustard seeds start to pop and the aroma of the herbs is released. Add rice and mung beans and sauté for another couple of minutes. Then add 4-6 cups of water and bring this to a boil. Add the salt, powdered spices and seaweed once the kitchari has come to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook until it is tender (approx. 30-45 minutes). If you are adding vegetables to your kitchari, add the longer cooking vegetables such as carrots and beets halfway through the cooking. Add the vegetables that cook faster such as leafy greens near the end. If you need to add more water you can. It should be the consistency of a vegetable stew as opposed to a broth. Garnish with fresh cilantro and add salt to taste. You can put a little chutney in to make it tasty. Click here for the chutney recipes.

Serving Size: 2

Number of Servings: 2

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user KARONA83.