In the United States today, juice fasting is one of the most popular forms of detoxification, but in Ayurveda, they use Kitchari, which is both cleansing and rejuvenating. Kitchari is a combination of white basmati rice and split yellow mung beans. Both of these foods are specifically good for each of the Ayurvedic Dosha (body) types. It is very easy to digest and is often given as the first food for infants as well as for people who are healing in the hospital. It can be made and enjoyed as a solo meal, or eaten as every meal for days or weeks at a time. This latter application gives rest to the digestive system and allows the body to detoxify.
We love to supercharge our Kitchari with tasty Jinged-Up SuperFoods! Astragalus for immunity and upright Qi force, mucuna for brain enhancement and a natural dopamine boost, and SugaVida for broad spectrum B Vitamin nutrition and amazing flavor.
People who have weak digestion can change the ratio of rice to beans to 2:1 or even 3:1, in favor of more rice. Split yellow mung beans are also sold as "dahl beans." Kitchari will last well in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat on a stove top or in your oven.
Jing It Up (options)
1 TB Mucuna
1 TB Sugavida
1 TB Astragalus
Gather Up
1 cup (225g) dried White Basmati Rice
1 cup (225g) dried Split Yellow Mung Beans
8 cups (2000ml) Water
2 tsp Yellow Curry Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
½ tsp Garlic Powder
¼ Black Pepper Powder
¼ tsp Cardamon Powder
½ tsp Sea Salt
½ tsp Cinnamon Powder
1 Whole Carrot, grated
1 cup fresh greens, Spinach, Kale, etc
½ cup fresh Onion, diced
4 TB Ghee or SuperFood Shortening
Sling It Up
Pour the split yellow mung beans onto a baking sheet or flat surface and pick out any stray little stones. Soak the white basmati rice and split yellow mung beans together in a bowl, covered with at least an inch of water. Let them soak for a few hours, or even overnight. If you are in more of a hurry, you can boil the water, and soak them in the boiled water for an hour. In every case, discard the soak water. In a separate pot on the stove, bring your 8 cups of water to a boil, then add the rice, beans, powdered spices and ghee (or SuperFood Shortening). Let it cook on a gentle boil for about 10 minutes, then bring it down to a simmer for another 15-25 minutes. Midway through the simmering process, add your fresh vegetable ingredients. If it is starting to stick on the bottom of the pan, add another ½ - 1 cup of water and reduce the heat. The final texture of your Kitchari will be soft, like a very soft porridge. You can customize the texture of the fresh vegetables however you prefer them, cook them more if you want them soft, cook them less if you want to have a little crunch left in them.
