JL Fields

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My take on vegan kitchari

Last year I traveled more than I was home. If I’m exaggerating (it’s possible), then at least it felt like it. I’m not complaining. 2017 was the year over 2,000 people attended my cooking demonstration classes for Vegan Pressure Cooking and The Vegan Air Fryer! I traveled for several days to weeks at a time and I spent many, many weekends away at veg fests. Along the way, I was talking to a friend about how I missed simple home cooking during those times. And she told me about kitchari.Kichari is a traditional Ayurvedic recipe. The word “kitchari” means mixture, and what’s usually mixed are two easy-to-digest staples: two grains or a legume and a grain. These days, if you look it up you’ll likely find most recipes with brown basmati rice and yellow split mung beans. I read up on it and discovered there are actually kitchari “cleanses” often prescribed as part of Ayurvedic seasonal eating, and though I wasn’t interested in cleansing – I think you know that about me by now – I noticed that so many of the ingredients for the teas, garnish and kitchari itself are foods I have around all the time: lime, cilantro, fresh ginger root, seeds (fennel, coriander, cumin) and of course rice. But usually short or long grain brown rice.

Anyway.

I started playing with recipes because I thought that if I landed on one I liked, kitchari would be just the thing to enjoy in my home when I returned from long trips. Nourishing food, warming my belly and my heart, as I transitioned from hotel living to home. I tried a few recipes from traditional Ayurvedic websites and, well, I found them pretty bland. As I said, I was not looking for a cleanse. I was looking for a flavorful, warming bowl of food that was easy on my body and that I enjoyed making in my home kitchen. Many recipes call for ghee (clarified butter), and that was obviously out, so I played around with coconut and olive oils and vegetable broth for sautéing. Then, coincidentally, I had a coaching client who wanted me to help her make Kitchari in her new Instant Pot. I like my clients to make delicious food so I was really on the hunt for something way less bland. I found a Mung Bean Stew recipe from Richa Hingle that I liked a lot. And that was the recipe that I started playing with. I wanted something a little less fussy (not a criticism, I’m just a little lazier than most in the kitchen, so sautéing anything for 15 minutes or longer loses me) and a little more like dal (thicker) than stew. So for months, I kept playing with the recipe and finally feel like I found the sweet spot.

These days, when I return from a trip, Dave knows it’s “Kitchari Monday.” I’ll start my day with a bowl of TVP-Oatmeal (I combine 3/4 cup oats with 1/4 cup textured vegetable protein), and then I just enjoy bowls of kitchari through the day – this recipe makes 10 cups – usually served with fresh chopped ginger root and cilantro and simple roasted vegetables, like cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, carrots, and potatoes. If I’m feeling it, I’ll even make the traditional “tea” of 3 cups hot water to 1 teaspoon each: cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds. It freezes beautifully, which is great because if I get home at midnight on Sunday night I’ll set out a bag from the freezer and I’m still ready on Monday for a nourishing day of food.

And then on Tuesday, I’ll likely have something like a Tofu Poutine. Which I find equally comforting and nourishing. 😉

With a hat tip to Vegan Richa and Ayurvedic recipe creators everywhere, I give you my take on vegan kitchari. 

JL’s Version of Vegan Kitchari

Adapted from this Vegan Richa recipe.

  • 1/2 cup yellow mung beans
  • 1/2 cup long grain brown rice
  • 1 red onion
  • 1 14-oz can diced tomatoes
  • 5 cloves of garlic (coarsely chopped)
  • 1 jalapeno (seeded)
  • 2 tablespoons minced ginger root
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil (or vegetable broth)
  • 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
  • 2 cups cauliflower pearls ((or bagged broccoli slaw or a combo of the two, equalling 2 cups) )
  • 2 cups shaved Brussels sprouts
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 large lemon (juiced)
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • Fresh cilantro (optional)
  • Grated ginger (optional)
  1. Rinse and drain the rice and beans. Soak in water for 20 minutes to an hour.
  2. Puree onion, tomatoes, garlic, jalapeno, ginger root, and turmeric, adding water as necessary, in a food processor or blender until you reach a sauce consistency that pours easily, not chunky.
  3. Heat olive oil or vegetable broth in an uncovered pressure cooker or multicooker (like the Instant Pot or a GoWISE or Fagor LUX multicooker) on low (if a multicooker) or medium (stovetop pressure cooker). Add cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds and sauté, stirring constantly, until fragrant.
  4. Pour the puree into the pot.
  5. Rinse the soaked rice and beans and add them to the pot. Add the broccoli pearls, shaved Brussels sprouts, and water. Combine well.
  6. Cover the pot and cook on high pressure for 15 to 18 minutes (at 6,200 feet elevation, I opt for 18). Allow for a natural release.
  7. Uncover and add the juice of one large lemon. Taste before adding salt (I use 2 teaspoons) and black pepper.
  8. Serve with he optional fresh cilantro and grated ginger.

The vegetable options are endless. Substitute 4 cups of your favorite finely diced or shaved veggies.