My whole winter has been about kichdi (also kichri), an Indian porridge of lentils and basmati rice. There are endless variations of this dish, and Indian home cooks can make kichdi fit for a festive occasion, an everyday table, an ascetic offering to a deity, a simple baby food or a healing meal for a sick or recovering family member. Kichdi is a popular dish in Ayurvedic cleanses and suits any dosha. When someone says “superfood” I think of the nourishing and wisely composed meals like this rather than a chia seed pudding with blueberries.
In this winter kichdi I used basmati with mung beans, seasonal vegetables, herbs and spices sauteed in ghee. Sounds simple enough and yet there are a few tricks useful to know if you want to make and appreciate a decent kichdi. Let me tell you about each component in detail.
Mung beans is the only legume that Ayurveda considers sattvic or pure meaning it is light and satiated with prana, or life force. Mung beans satisfies and gives strength like many other sweet products and yet unlike most of them these beans are easy to digest. In fact, mung beans are lightest among all legumes. Due to the astringent taste mung beans flash toxins out of the body. Like with the other beans and pulses, you should soak the mung beans overnight or for 8-10 hours prior to the cooking, then drain, thoroughly rinse and drain again.
Kichdi is most often made with basmati, another sattvic product according to Ayurveda. Basmati in Sanskrit means “fragrant”, and I get ecstatic every time the finest aroma fills my kitchen. I imagine that kitchens of maharajas and sultans smelled just the same. Basmati balances Vata and Pitta, however Kapha people should not eat it by handfuls for breakfast, lunch and dinner as in excess basmati aggravates Kapha dosha. Why do we use white basmati with the husks removed if we all know about the health benefits of whole grains? Good question. Indeed, brown rice has got more nutrients and yet it is more difficult to digest. If you digestion functions like Swiss watch, go ahead and cook with brown basmati. As I mentioned though, kichdi is often used for sick or recovering people; sickness goes hand in hand with compromised digestion, and so Ayurvedic cooks use white rice that nourishes body without straining digestion. According to Ayurveda, it’s better to fully digest less nutritious food than not digest super-nutritious food at all. Undigested food turns into toxins, eventually causing a disease.
By the way, note the combination of grains and pulses in kichdi that makes the complete protein including all the essential amino-acids, something any vegetarian that looks after her own well-being as much as that of the planet will be interested in. Also Ayurvedic doctors say that contrary to the popular idea of separating carbs and proteins, beans and specifically rice digest better when taken together. After all there is a wisdom in that fact that dhal and rice have been a staple combo in India for thousands of years.
My kichdi recipe is a bit ascetic as I don’t use onion or garlic both of which Ayurveda considers rather stimulating products. As a chef in the restaurant I had been suspicious about cooking (and most importantly - eating) without onion and garlic, such fundamental ingredients used to build flavor in many cuisines around the world. So I decided to test the idea for myself and have been rather enjoying the results as, I hope, this recipe shows.
However I did not skim on other vegetables in my kichdi. I used a combination of carrot, fennel, cabbage and celeriac (celery root), but any seasonal vegetables would work. I prefer combining a few vegetables in a single dish to balance their properties. For instance, cooked carrot pacifies Vata and Kapha, but could aggravate Pitta because of its heating qualities. However, when we combine a few vegetables in a single dish and moreover - season them with spices, we create a dish that has a more balanced effect on our body.
I always use fresh herbs as I have a thing for bitter taste (and it is mutual). In this recipe though I did not go over the board letting you keep the quantity as it is (especially if you are Vata or have a Vata disbalance) or, say, double it.
Some may consider me mad by looking at the list of 12 spices in the recipe. Please, note that I’ve been rather conservative with their quantity though, which results in a complex flavor that you can’t point your finger at. You could achieve a similar result by adding a bit of profoundly fresh garam masala spice mix, but I prefer it my way. The ground spices create a soft background sound for the small seeds to pop up - as they get on your tooth and release their bright flavor; whole cardamon and clove shoot ahead - bold and load - but only for a second to leave the stage to the sound of the spice symphony.
Not at least, I love kichdi for it is a one-pot dish, easy to cook and to take with you to work or even on the road. And, yes, it is a lunch as Ayurveda recommends eating your beans and grains at the time when the digestion fire is the strongest meaning 12 am - 2 pm.
Nourishing Mung Bean and Basmati Porridge (Kichdi)
Two sweethearts of Ayurveda - mung beans and basmati rice - get married in a nourishing winter lunch. You can experiment with seasonal vegetables and herbs available to you besides those I mention in the recipe. This kichdi has got a porridge-like texture, cozy and warming; those who prefer their kichdi drier may use less water. Either way, watch basmati carefully: it cooks fast and may turn the whole kichdi affair into a risotto way too soon.
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 25 min
Total Time: 35 min
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 1⁄2 cup basmati rice
- 1⁄2 cup mung beans soaked overnight
- 2 cups mixed vegetables (carrot, fennel, cabbage, celeriac), finely diced
- 8 cups water
- 1 1⁄2 tbsp ghee or your preferred oil
- 4 thin slices fresh ginger very finely diced
- 3 bay leaves
- 8 whole cardamon pods
- 4 cloves
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- 1⁄2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1⁄2 tsp coriander seeds
- 1⁄2 tsp fennel seeds
- 1⁄2 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1⁄4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1⁄4 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tsp fine sea salt or more to taste
- 1⁄2 cup finely chopped herbs (parsley dill, mint, arugula)
Directions
- In a medium a cooking pot on the low heat melt the ghee and add all the spices besides the turmeric, cinnamon and black pepper. As the whole spices release the aroma, add the ground ones. Right after pour in the water, dial up the heat to medium and bring to a boil. Add the pre-soaked and drained mung beans, cover with the lid and cook for 8-10 min, until the beans get tender.
- Meanwhile, thoroughly wash basmati in hot water and leave to drain. Cut the vegetables. As the mung beans get cooked, stir in the basmati and vegetables at once and season with sea salt. Without reducing the heat continue cooking covered for another 10 min or so, until the rice and vegetables are tender. Stir in the herbs, taste for salt and adjust the seasoning if required. Serve at once with lemon wedges, or thick plain yogurt, or sour milk drinks such as ayran, lassi or kefir.
Awesome post! I grew up in South India and make a very similar kichidi with whole mung beans. I don’t make it with the same patience that you do though, reaching for the trusty pressure cooker instead, and homemade but not always freshly ground garam masala. I also - depending on our needs at the moment, whether it is stimulation or recuperation - add a tomato or a bit of tomato paste, a chili pepper or two, black peppercorns, a full bunch of cilantro/coriander and some mint.
Since moving to the US, I’ve also started to use Thai jasmine rice instead for a softer and slightly sticky texture. I too serve it with lemon wedges and either plain yogurt or raita. So quick to make and so comforting, not to mention incredibly nourishing. Superfood indeed.
Your post made me happy reading it. Thank you!