Kitchari is a traditional Ayurvedic dish that has been enjoyed in India for centuries. This simple, yet nourishing meal is made by cooking together rice, mung beans, and a variety of spices and vegetables.

What is kitchari?
In Hindi, Kitchari means 'mixture' and it's a traditional Ayurvedic dish that typically consists of mung dal (split mung beans) and white basmati rice, flavored with herbs and spices, and cooked with vegetables of your choice.
It's the ultimate comfort food that can be easily made at home. Although any meal made with rice and beans can be called Kitchari, traditionally, it's made with mung daal, which is split with their husks removed, making it highly digestible and non-gassy.
Cultures across the globe, from Mexico to India, have combined rice and beans for thousands of years to obtain a complete plant-based protein. Kitchari is highly recommended as a healing food for people with digestive issues or those who want to reset their digestive system.

History of Kitchari
Kitchari originated in ancient India as a healing food, which was a part of Ayurvedic practices. Ayurveda is a traditional system of medicine that has been in practice in India for over 5,000 years, and it prioritizes maintaining harmony and balance between the body, mind, and spirit. Ayurveda considers Kitchari a Sattvic food, meaning it is pure, nourishing, and clean for both the body and mind.
The ingredients used in Kitchari, such as rice and lentils, have been a staple of Indian cuisine for thousands of years. The combination of rice and lentils provides a complete protein, making it a popular food for vegetarians and vegans. Kitchari was also commonly used as a cleansing food during religious festivals and as a medicinal food to aid digestion.
Why do spices work?
Spices are the difference between a tasty meal and a bland one and between healthy and poor digestion. A well-spiced dish digests better than a bland one.
Just as spices stimulate the tongue, spices also stimulate the stomach. The tongue is a mirror of the digestive tract.
Asafoetida, also called hing, is a sharp and heating spice that stimulates the tongue. As with all spices, hing not only makes food more interesting - it also has many health-promoting qualities. Hing assists digestion, soothes spasms, and prevents gas. The spice's pungency stimulates the body to increase blood flow and gastric juices to the intestines. The extra juice and enhanced blood flow improve your digestion in the process.
Reach for spices enthusiastically, but remember: Too much spice is harsh and can leave a burning feeling in the intestines. Be aware of your body's reaction to spices. Those with ulcers or inflammation will not benefit from an ingredient with the spicy strength of hing, but it is helpful for those with sluggish digestion.
Lentils & Rice
You do not need to soak the yellow mung bean lentils overnight. Simply, give them a good wash. White basmati rice is traditionally used for making Kitchari as this is easier on the digestive system than brown rice.
You can read more about lentils and their uses here on our blog.
Why does kitchari heal?
Here are 3 main reasons why eating kitchari is a powerful way to heal naturally:
1. Kitchari is a balanced meal
Rice, mung beans, and vegetables offer balanced nourishment for your body.
Kitchari is a balanced meal because it contains both augmenting and extractive foods. Rice, which is augmenting, has a sweet taste. It helps to build tissues, calms vata dosha, supports the digestion of other food, and forms the bulk of the stool (thereby easing elimination).
Mung beans, which are extractive, help the body to cleanse and detoxify because their bitter and astringent tastes extract toxins. For optimal digestion, you want to include 60% rice and 40% mung beans in your kitchari
For variety, you can also include an augmenting and an extractive vegetable.
2. Kitchari is satiating
By including digestive spices, like ginger, turmeric, cumin, and coriander, the meal becomes cleansing, balanced and satisfying. When you are properly satiated on a regular basis, your food cravings and impulses to snack will decrease. This will allow your digestion to improve.
3. Kitchari is easily digestible
By gently cooking the ingredients together to a soupy consistency, your digestion doesnโt need to work as hard to break down and assimilate the food. This easily digestible meal gives your body a break to restore the natural strength of Agni, the digestive fire.
How to make Indian Kitchari at home
Here is our step-by-step guide for cooking Kitchari.
To cook the rice and lentil base
To cook the kitchari
To serve kitchari
More recipes to try
- Golden Turmeric Milk
- Chana Masala
- Bhindi Masala
- Fig Barfi
- High Protein Lentil Wraps
- Ayurvedic Turmeric Paste
We hope you enjoy this recipe. Let us know in the comments below how you like it and any variations you did. Remember to tag #HolisticChefAcademy when you make our recipe. Happy cooking!
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