Kitcharee

I’m currently doing a Kitcharee Cleanse, as we go from Winter to Spring it’s the perfect time, I could go on and on about the whys and where fors but I think Dillon from oh holy basil does a brilliant job check out her website for further inspiration http://www.ohholybasil.com/a-3-day-ayurvedic-kitchari-cleanse/
But I will say, in a nutshell, Kitcharee is tri Doshic meaning it suits all constitution types, consuming it for a few days gives your digestion a break, being a"mono" diet allows our bodies and minds to take stock, take a breath and get ready for the season ahead. You will often hear “Chicken Soup for the soul” well I think Kitcharee is an even more well rounded, delicious, healing soul food. This is slightly different from most Kitcharee recipes in that the Dahl and Rice are cooked and served separately, I really like this....not so gruel like perhaps. It does require absorption method rice cooking that I've avoided for years this recipe works however......have you found people are free boil or absorption method and never the 2 shall meet.......

The dahl:

    1 cup yellow split mung beans (not the whole green ones!), washed and soaked at least 6 hours, preferably overnight, see note
    2 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil
    ½ teaspoon mustard seed
    ½ teaspoon cumin seed
    5 cardamom pods
    1 cinnamon stick
    ½ teaspoon turmeric
    pinch asafetida, if available, otherwise omit it
    6 cups water
    salt to taste
    2-3 cups turnips, carrots or other mild root vegetables, thinly sliced into half moons
    ½ bunch of kale or the reserved turnip greens from the turnips, sliced very thin
    1 lime, juiced

Drain and rinse the mung beans in a fine mesh sieve and leave them to drain of their excess water.
In a medium pot, heat the ghee or coconut oil, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, cardamom pods and cinnamon stick over medium heat until the mustard seeds begin to pop. Immediately add the turmeric, asafetida and mung beans and cook, stirring frequently for about a minute. Add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, partially covered and cook for about 45 minutes or until the mung beans have broken down, loosing their district form. Add the root vegetables and salt and cook for 15-20 minutes more, until they are quite soft. Add the greens and cook about five minutes more. Turn off the heat and add the lime juice. While the dahl is cooking, make the rice.

The RIce

1 cup basmati rice, preferably soaked for at least one hour, I often put mine in to soak when I soak the Dahl....otherwise rinsed
1 tablespoon ghee or coconut oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
4 cardamom pods
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups boiling water

    Drain the rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse a couple of times.
    Heat the ghee or coconut oil, cumin seeds and cardamom pods over medium heat and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the rice and cook, stirring frequently for a minute or two more, until the rice is well toasted but not yet browning. Add the boiling water and boil the rice, uncovered for five minutes. Reduce heat, cover and let simmer until all of the water is absorbed, about 10 minutes.
    To serve put some rice into a bowl and ladle the dal over top of it. Garnish with cilantro, a hearty squeeze of lime juice, the coconut, sesame seeds and melted ghee, if using. Top with a couple of teaspoons of the ginger tonic.

f you forget to soak your mung beans overnight, do not dismay. You can do a quick soak by pouring boiling water over them and letting them soak for just one hour.

Ginger Tonic

This digestive tonic can be taken before meals to aid digestion and stimulate the agni. I also put some on top of my kitcharee.
Ingredients

    a large piece of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into tiny cubes
    lime juice
    sea salt

Instructions

Place the ginger in a small bowl and coat with a liberal squeeze of lime juice. Sprinkle with a good pinch of salt and set aside to let marinate for at least 20 minutes.
Cover and store in the refrigerator

CCF Digest and Detox tea

This classic Ayurvedic formula will help to burn up the excess moisture of kapha, making it an excellent choice for springtime cleansing, but it is trip-doshic, meaning it is balancing for all doshic types, in all seasons. This tea stimulates the agni or digestive fire, making it an excellent digestive.
Ingredients

    1 teaspoon cumin seed
    1 teaspoon coriander seed
    1 teaspoon fennel seed

Instructions

Bring 4 cups of water and all of the spices to a boil. Turn off heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Strain and store in a glass jar. Reheat as needed or drink at room temperature.

Ghee

Oh my lord this stuff is the best, tastes gorgeous melted over Kitcharee but as a cooking medium it's gold standard, such a high smoke point ie doesn't degrade into a "bad " fat with high heat and did I mention it's delicious!!!!! Ghee has a very long history in Ayurvedic cooking, I notice many recipe substitute it with coconut oil, another fabulous oil, in my experience flavour wise the is no substitution to Ghee. Ghee has many health benefits and when incorporating it with Ayurvedic practices like a Kitcharee cleanse I believe it's best to stick with tradition. Ghee can be frightfully expensive especially organic, try doing it yourself it's dead easy.

1 block 250g unsalted best quality butter you can find
Ive recently found a supplier of hand churned butter made from unhomogonised happy cow milk, keep your eye out you'll find the better the butter the better the ghee

To make ghee, gently melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. After melting, the butter will separate into three layers. This should only take a few minutes. Foam will appear on the top layer, the milk solids will migrate to the bottom of the pan, and clarified butter will float between the two. Let the butter come to a simmer and hold it here until the middle layer becomes fragrant, more golden than when you started, and clear - push the solids on top out of the way to have a peek. The milk solids at the bottom will begin to brown. At this point it is a matter of preference, you can let the solids lightly brown, or let things progress a bit further. When the ghee is finished (I find it a little easier to skim off the top layer if you give it a minute to cool and solidify just a fraction) skim absolutely all of the top layer of foam into a bowl with a spoon or strainer, turn off the heat, and allow things to settle for a minute or so. Next, carefully pour the golden central layer through a strainer, into a clean glass jar, leaving the milk solids at the bottom of the pan. If you were able to get all the solids out, and use clean and dry utensils in the jar, ghee will keep at room temperature for weeks. It can be used as a cooking oil, finishing element, and is also a traditional body moisturizer and massage medium.