Gourmet kitchari (moong dal)

I don’t know if the ground hog’s prediction is right or wrong but it is still cold here. So let’s go to a more exotic place like India and get a popular dish called kitchari. No worries, no exotic foods will be used. You should be able to find all the ingredients here in the US. If your grocery store does not have them, you can try any Indian or Asian store but really all these ingredients are common in the US. I serve the dish with whatever vegetables I can get in the store, spinach, kale, cauliflower etc.

Kitchari is a traditional nourishing soup from India that is made with mung beans and rice infused with some amazing Indian spices. It is great when you want something grounding and warming. It is often consumed during Ayurvedic cleanses or as a light meal to support digestion and overall well-being.

This dish is more of a gourmet version of the simple kitchari with the addition of mustard seed, cinnamon, cardamom and chili pepper to suit our winter needs. You can also add your favorite vegetarian dishes to make it more complete and fun. I used spinach, paneer, fried mushrooms and rice.

RECIPE

Ingredients

  • 1 onion
  • 1 cup of uncooked mung beans
  • oil (I used home made ghee. )
  • 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
  • 10 – 15 pieces mustard seeds
  • seeds of 3 green cardamom pods (discard green shell)
  • 1 tomato, chopped (canned is fine)
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 1 cup stock or water (more if you want a soup)
  • salt and black pepper to taste
  • yogurt
  • cilantro
  • lime or lemon

Direction

  • Clean and soak mung beans overnight but at least for 2 hours. Remove soaking liquid, discard. Set aside the beans.
  • Making the gravy. Saute the onion on medium high heat for 5- 10 minutes. When you smell the nice aroma of the onion, add the ginger, cardamom seeds, mustard seeds and cumin seeds, Stir for about 5 minutes.
  • Add the powders (turmeric, cumin, coriander) and garlic, stir for 1 minute. Add cold stock, stir.
  • Add 1 chopped tomato and cook for about 5-10 minutes until tomato becomes saucy.
  • Add mung beans prepared earlier. Bring to a boil, turn down heat and cook for 30 minutes.
  • Add cinnamon stick in the last 10 minutes.
  • When done, add chili pepper, salt and pepper to taste.
  • Serve warm with rice, yogurt, cilantro and lemon.
  • I also used paneer with spinach stew and fried mushrooms.

enjoy!

chopped chili pepper

Recipe, photo and text by twincitiesherbs.com.

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