How to Make Kitchari: Gut Healing & Anti-Inflammatory
Learn how to make kitchari, a traditional ayurvedic recipe that is gentle on digestion, packed with fiber and flavor, and great for balancing your doshas.
You guys, we're on a major roll with this gut healing kick. As you might remember, the start of 2019 was all about gut health for me. It was about resetting my system, getting back on track and nourishing my digestive system.
The first thing I did was follow my own 21-day reset protocol in my Simply Nourished program. Once those 21 days were up, I started focusing on making recipes that would be easy on the system, incredibly gentle, but also delicious.
A few of my staples so far: vegan bone broth, turmeric carrot soup, kimchi fried quinoa and now this incredible kitchari recipe!
What is Kitchari?
First, let's talk about what the heck kitchari even is.
Kitchari is a dish used in ayurvedic cooking and is a staple in this way of life. It's made from a blend of basmati rice and mung dal and is designed to be very gentle on digestion. Kitchari can be made many different ways and has references dating back thousands of years.
Kitchari, which literally means mixture, combines those two foods (basmati and dal) along with other healing vegetables and lots of spices to create a dish has balancing properties for all three doshas. If you're not sure what a dosha is, check this out and take the quiz to find out what dosha you are! (I'm a blend of Pitta and Vata)
What Spices Should You Use in Kitchari?
Ayurveda originates in India and thus like many other Indian-inspired recipes, kitchari is full of spices.
The unique blend of spices used in kitchari is there to not only add flavor but also again balance out the doshas. There are warming spices, detoxifying spices, anti-inflammatory spices, and the blend is just delicious.
The other secret to using spices in your kitchari is that you want some of them to be whole spices. You'll notice in the recipe that we're using whole mustard seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, and fenugreek and that's because whole spices retain more freshness and more flavor.
The Kitchari Cleanse
In the Western world, kitchari has been gaining a lot of popularity and I think it has to do with the Kitchari Cleanse. We seem to love anything having to do with cleansing, so whenever there's a new cleanse out, people jump on board!
While I'm not personally a fan of doing big cleanses – especially juice cleanses – I can see why this particular one would be beneficial. First off, you're eating real food. Secondly, you're eating tons of fiber. And thirdly, everything is nourishing and healing for the gut.
Here's the deal with the kitchari cleanse:
- breakfast: oatmeal
- lunch: kitchari
- dinner: kitchari
Pretty straightforward, not too hard to follow and again, you're actually eating. Check out my 3-day juice cleanse experience to see why I'll probably never do one of those again!
How to Make Kitchari
What you're going to love about this recipe, aside from the awesome flavors, is how easy it is to make. You just need one pot and most of the cooking time is completely hands off.
You start by sauteing the spices in a little coconut oil to boost their fragrance and enhance their flavor, then add in your rice, dal, veggies of choice and some liquid. Cook it for about an hour and you're good to go. It's seriously that easy!
And best of all, since it's plant-based based and it's a sort of stew, kitchari is great for meal prep or freezing. You can make a big batch (like this recipe), keep it in the fridge for days and just heat it up whenever you're ready to eat it!
Why You'll Love Kitchari!
I promise you're going to absolutely love this kitchari recipe! It's…
bright
aromatic
comforting
full of protein & fiber
great for meal prep
customizable
& super flavorful
And as I said earlier, it's great for your gut. I don't get any gas or bloat with this recipe, it helps me get regular and I never get sick of the flavor. I love serving it with a dollop of coconut yogurt, some cilantro and pepper flakes. SO GOOD!
More Gut Healing Recipes to Try:
- Vegan Mushroom Bone Broth
- Easy Vegan Red Lentil Dal
- Anti-Inflammatory Ginger & Turmeric Carrot Soup
- One Pot Vegetable Chickpea Curry
Kitchari Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons brown mustard seeds
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons fenugreek seeds
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic (about 2 - 3 cloves)
- 1/2 cup chopped onion (or shallot)
- 2 cups split mung bean dahl (or golden lentils)
- 1 cup white basmati rice
- 3 - 5 cups chopped vegetables*
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 4 cups water
- 2 bay leaves
- Cilantro & coconut yogurt to garnish (if desired)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large stockpot or dutch oven. Once melted, add the spices. Cook the spices in the oil until they start to become quite aromatic, about 2 - 3 minutes. From there add the garlic and onion/shallots and cook another 2 minutes or so.
- Add the beans, rice and veggies and give it a quick stir to ensure the spices are evenly coating the rest of the ingredients. Pour in the liquids and stir in the bay leaves.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cover and cook for about an hour. Remove the lid, give the mixture a good stir and add a touch more liquid if desired.
- When ready to serve, portion out between bowls. Top with cilantro and coconut yogurt if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
shop this post
share what you make
Tag #simplyquinoa on Instagram with your creations! We love sharing what you make with the community. We can’t wait to see!
heey, what could be used instead of oat’s in the morning? by eating oat or buckwheat our body produce melatonin which makes us sleepy. ideally should we eat those in the evening . best greetings,
this would be a great breakfast recipe for you then, there are no oats or buckwheat in it! Other good options are chia pudding, quinoa cereal, eggs or a smoothie.
This recipe is FABULOUS!! I’ve had a “sour stomach” for weeks and haven’t wanted to eat much. This recipe immediately calmed the queasy feeling. The spices are not overwhelming and its quite filling. Next time I will halve the recipe except for the vegetables as it was quite a lot for a single person ( thank goodness for freezing). Ty so much for this, Alyssa!!
Of course! Thank you so much for the kind review! I hope your stomach starts to feel better <3
Seems like a KHICHDI. Ditch the coconut oil and white rice. Use equal parts red lentils and millet.
Seems like a KHICHDI
Is another word for Golden Lentil, the “red lentil”??? Can I use the red lentil???
Yes, you can use red lentils!
I just made this following the recipe and adding everything ~ it really hit the spot and I will make it again and again. Spices are perfect!
I’m so glad you liked it! It’s one of my go-to recipes!
hi, i wanted to ask whether i can use quinoa instead of the rice and whether this will affect the amount of liquid i have to add?
I think you could yes! It should really affect the liquid 🙂
OMG! These recipe is absolutely delicious . I am doing kitcharie cleanse rn but i always make it very soupy and was in the mood for a different style. I followed the instructions and my mind is blown rn on how good this is. I didnt have bay leaves so i just added cinnamon bark. And Geeeesssssuuussss !!!! Very surprised thank you for this post and for saving my detox . I def can eat this for days n days.
Yayyyy! So so happy you enjoyed! I’d love for you to leave a star rating if you haven’t already 😉 xox
Really delicious – felt a bit worried about all the spice but it was not overpowering just aromatic and delicious- we added cauliflower spinach carrots and broccoli and about twice the garlic and onion- will make again for sure
So glad you enjoyed it!!
Alyssa:
I love looking through your recipes. I’ve only been on you site for a few days, but I have so many recipes I want to try already, I don’t know which to do first. I do have a request though. I’m currently working with a physical trainer who is a stickler for my nutrition information whenever we meet. I like that you include your nutritional values for most recipes, but I rarely have a good vision for what a serving size will be. For example the Kitchari recipe says 8 servings, but until I make it, I don’t really understand how big a serving truly is. Is there a rule of thumb for estimating?
For these kind of recipes, I usually use about 1.5 cups 🙂
Hi Alyssa,
thanks for the recepy can I use normal yellow mung? do I have to soak it or just use it ? and can we use dal instead mung?
I think the two are pretty different so I’m not 100% sure. I’d say you’d probably want to soak it first so it speeds up the cooking process. You might also need to increase the liquid 🙂
Any suggestions for how to adapt this for a crockpot
I would just cook it like a chili! But you’ll want one that has a saute option so you get a bit more flavor 🙂
Nice recipe but Kitchari really shouldn’t have onions or garlic in it, they sort of defeat the purpose of the dish according to Ayurveda.
Feel free to leave it out if you want 🙂
I’m so excited to try this recipe tonight! I just realized (being a total newbie) that the mung beans bag say they should be soaked overnight. I definitely missed this step, is it necessary or do they cook up just fine in the kitchari without a pre-soak? Thanks!
Update: I chickened out and just bought some split Moong Dal beans, and with no prior soaking they worked perfectly. I loved this recipe. I used broccoli, zucchini, carrots and Definitely a mushy dish, lol, but the aromas in my kitchen were gorgeous and the flavors were unique. I preferred it with the coconut yogurt mixed in and I added salt after it was cooked because I completely missed adding the sea salt in during cooking. My gut was happy too, no bloating or discomfort after eating. i’m having this for lunch, too.
I’m so so glad you enjoyed it!! Love the additions you made 🙂 And it really does make the best lunch! I can’t wait to make this when I’m back from my trip in Mexico 🙂 It’s one of my favorites!
Hi would mung beans work (not split) as they are all I have?
Emma, I’m curious if you tried these and they worked!
I haven’t tested it, so I’m not totally sure!
Hi Alyssa, I made the Kitchari yesterday and it is amazing! I knew it would be the kind of dish I would like. Our local YMCA has a kitchen where they host lots of demos and cooking classes. They had a woman from Bangladesh cook some Daal Lentil soup and a chicken curry, both were awesome! So when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it. Only problem is that mine came out very mushy, maybe I cooked it too long? I cooked it for an hour. But it was still edible and very delicious, I will be eating it all week for lunch!
It’s definitely a mushy dish 🙂 Not like a soup! What veggies did you use? That might have had an impact too 🙂
Hi Alyssa,
The rice used in khidchdi(that’s what it is called) is the local variety and not usually basmati. Basmati is not very digestion friendly. Options of rice to be used could be Kolam or Sona Masuri.
Thanks for sharing!
Hi. Instead of rice we can take same amount of broken wheat/ creaked wheat to make it more healthy and full of fiber. In india we call it khichadi.
I haven’t tried that as I don’t eat wheat. They use white rice because it’s very easy to digest, but feel free to try another grain!
Please note the serving size for the nutritional information. I see your recipe makes 8 servings. What is the size of a prepared serving?
About 1 1/2 cups 🙂