Holistic Kitchen 101 : How To Make Kitchari

We’ve been on a bit of an Ayurvedic kick lately, taking guidance from this ancient practice for beating cravings based on our doshas and staying balanced with the seasons. We've been ghee-ing up our morning coffees and even partaking in a little panchakarma - more soon! There’s something to be said for a practice that has been tried and tested for 5000 years, right?

With weather just beginning to warm, now is the perfect time to take on a little pre-spring cleanse with a warming and detoxifying Ayurvedic stew from Holistic Health Counselor, Pamela Salzman. Pamela always makes eating holistically seem uber-accessible because she knows her way around the kitchen - and it's guests. Her recipes are delicious and simple. When it comes right down to it, isn't that exactly what we're looking for on a Monday night?  

While traditional kitchari recipes vary greatly in what cleansing spices or seasonal vegetables are used, the same basic benefits apply. Whether you decide to go full cleanse and consume it for every meal for a week or just to use it as a delicous base and recipe staple, grab this recipe, and prepare to get cozy and grounded.

Kitchari (also spelled kitcheree and kichadi) is an ayurvedic stew known for its digestibility and nourishing properties. I had my first bowl when I did a pancha karma detoxification treatment many years ago. Kitchari is what you eat during an ayurvedic detox or cleanse, or make to nourish the sick or elderly. I enjoyed it so much I have since made it over and over again at home. It is a simple mixture of split mung beans and basmati rice with traditional Indian spices: very comforting and light at the same time.

There are infinite recipes for kitchari, this being my favorite. But feel free to play around with the spices and vegetables, according to what's in season. If you are eating this during a cleanse, it is important to avoid using hard-to-digest foods in the kitchari, such as brown rice or ghee (small amounts are ok, but too much stalls the detoxification process.) Whether you are looking to give your digestion a break or in search of a warm hug in a bowl, I think you'll find this to be a pleasing and surprisingly delicious dish that you might make regularly throughout the year.

The post Holistic Kitchen 101 : How To Make Kitchari appeared first on The Chalkboard.

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