A Healthy Kichadi

Kichadis are the core of Aryurvedic nutritional cooking. They are a simple stew of rice and split mung beans, suitable for every body type (dosha). They are also delicious and go very well with a more stongly spiced dish, such as cauliflowers and tomatoes.

Digestive Kichadi

1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoonfuls of ghee or sunflowerseed oil
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon coriander leaves
2 teaspoon tumeric
1 teaspoon dry oregano
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 stick konbu
1 teaspoon fresh ginger root, grated
1/2 cup basmati rice
1/4 cupsplit mung beans
4-6 cups water
3 cups fresh vegetables (carrots,courgette or pumpkin) diced

Wash the rice and beans and rinse until the water is clear

Warm the ghee in a mediumsaucepan. Add the cumion seeds, bay coriander and oregano. Brown slightly until you can smell them. Stir in the turmeric,rice and dal. Add water, salt, konbu and ginger. Simmer covered until beans and rice are soft (about an hour). Wash and dice vegetables. Add them and cook until tender - about 15/20minutes more.

Garnish with fresh chopped coriander

[Adapted from The Arurvedic Cookbook]

An Indian Kichadi

My favourite Indian dish is a simple kichadi. It is totally sattvic and delicious

This is how you make it:

1/2 cup basmati rice  
1/4 cup split mung dal

2 tablespoons ghee or sunflower oil

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon coriander seeds,
1 teaspoon oregano, dried

1/2 teaspoon tumeric

4 to 6 cups water
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
1 sheet of kombu
1 teaspoon fresh ginger root, grated

Wash rice and beans until water is clear.
Warm the oil in a medium saucepan. Add the cumin seeds, bay, coriander and oregano.
Brown slightly, until aromatic (you can smell them).
Stir in tumeric, rice and dal.
Add water, salt, kombu and ginger.

Simmer covered over medium heat until beans and rice are soft - about 50 minutes to 1 hour.

Garnish with fresh chopped coriander leaves. You can serve any vegetables with it: carrots, baby zucchinis etc. The dish in the photo has sesame ginger carrots added.