Marina Baroni, Dipl. Ayu.

Posts Tagged ‘spring detox’

Kitchari is a mixture of basmati rice and mung beans.  It is very nourishing and easy to digest.  The combination of rice and beans creates a complete source of proteins which strengthen all the tissues and support the digestive fire.

A five-day long mono-diet of Kitchari is the perfect way to get rid of toxic build-up and stagnation left over from the cold winter season.

Kitchari Recipe

Serves 2

1 cup white basmati rice

½ cup split yellow mung beans

2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter) or sunflower oil

½ teaspoon mustard seeds

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

½ teaspoon of salt

1 pinch turmeric

1 pinch asafoetida (hing)

3 cups of boiling water

Organic ghee and yellow mung beans can be purchased at your local health food store or Indian grocery store.

Wash rice and mung beans and drain. In a pot, heat the ghee or oil and add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and hing, stir till the seeds pop.  Add rice, mung beans, turmeric and salt and sauté for 2 or 3 minutes.  Add boiling water and simmer over low heat for about 25-30 minutes.  You may add vegetables such as carrots, zucchini or green beans.

Garnish with fresh cilantro and lime.

Note:  For better digestibility soak the mung beans for 3 hours before cooking. Even better: pre-cook the mung beans for 15 minutes and then add to the rice and spices.

Enjoy!