Basmati and Mixed Vegetable Kitchari

Kitchari is not only delicious but it’s also very healthy. The protein in split mung is combined with rice to make it a whole protein, which can be easily used by the body. Add the vegetables and you have a full meal in a bowl. If you are in the cooking mood, chapattis make this utter perfection.

One of the beautiful things about kitchari is that you can adapt it to whatever vegetables you have at the time. I happened to have some kale, carrots and summer squash but you can put cauliflower, potatoes, spinach, peas, whatever you like really. I like to add my vegetables into the pot in order of how long they take to cook so that they are not over-cooked by the end of the cooking process. However, many people add the veggies all at the beginning and end up with delish kitchari.

Lowfat Note: Although this recipe is already quite low in fat, if you use olive oil or canola oil instead of ghee, you'll be that much better off. You could also reduce the salt to 1 1/2 teaspoons, and add just a touch more ginger and asafetida to balance out the flavor.